XV 


DIARY    IN    AMERICA, 


REMARKS  ON  ITS  INSTITUTIONS. 

BY 

CAPT.  MARRYAT,  C.13., 

•"^ 
AUTHOR    OF 

PETER    SIMPLE,"   "JACOB    FAITHFUL," 
"FRANK    MILDMAY." 

IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.  It. 


V 


PHILADELPHIA: 

CAREY     &     HART. 

1830. 


Y.2- 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1838,  by  F  MARRYAT, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  tho  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania. 


DIARY    IN    AMERICA 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THERE  is  extreme  beauty  in  the  Ohio  river.  As  may 
be  supposed,  where  the  rise  and  fall  are  so  great  the 
hanks  are  very  steep;  and,  now  that  the  water  is  low, 
it  appears  deeply  embedded  in  the  wild  forest  scenery 
through  which  it  flows.  The  whole  stream  is  alive  with 
small  fresh-water  turtle,  who  play  on  the  surface  of  its 
clear  water;  while  the  most  beautiful  varieties  of  the  but 
terfly  tribe  cross  over  from  one  side  to  the  other,  from 
the  slave-States  to  the  free — their  liberty,  at  all  events, 
not  being  interfered  with  as,  on  the  free  side,  it  would 
be  thought  absuid  to  catch  what  would  not  produce  a 
cent;  while,  on  the  slaves,  their  idleness  and  their  in 
difference  to  them  are  their  security. 

Set  ~ff,  one  of  nine,  in  a  stage-coach,  for  the  Blue 
Sulphur  springs.  The  country  which  is  very  pic 
turesque,  has  been  already  described.  It  is  one  con 
tinuation  of  rising  ground,  through  mountains  covered 
with  trees  and  verdure.  Nature  is  excessively  fond  of 
drapery  in  America:  I  have  never  yet  fallen  in  with  a 
naked  rock.  She  clothes  every  thing;  and  although  you 
may  occasionally  meet  with  a  slight  nudity,  it  is  no  more 
than  the  exposure  of  the  neck  or  the  bare  feet  of  the 
mountain-nymph.  This  ridge  of  the  Alleghanies  is  very 
steep;  but  you  have  no  distinct  view  as  you  climb  up, 
not  even  at  the  Hawk's  Nest,  where  you  merely  peep 
down  into  the  ravine  below.  You  are  jammed  up  in  the 
forests  through  which  you  pass  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
way;  and  it  was  delightful  to  arrive  at  any  level,  and  fall 

VOL.  n. — I 


4  DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 

in  with  the  houses  and  well-tilled  fields  of  the  Virginian 
farmers,  exhibiting  every  proof  of  prosperity  and  ease. 
The  heat  was  dreadful;  two  horses  fell  dead,  and  I 
thought  that  many  others  would  have  died,  for  two  of 
the  wheels  were  defective,  and  the  labour  of  the  poor 
animals,  in  dragging  us  constantly  up  hill,  was  most  se 
vere. 

The  indifference  of  the  proprietors  of  public  convey 
ances  in  America  as  to  the  safety  of  their  passengers, 
can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  extreme  indifference 
of  the  passengers  themselves,  and  the  independent  feel 
ing  shown  by  every  class,  who,  whatever  may  be  their 
profession,  will  never  acknowledge  themselves  to  be 
what  we  term  the  servants  of  the  public.  Here  was  an 
instance.  The  coach  we  were  put  into  was  defective 
in  two  of  its  wheels,  and  could  only  be  repaired  at  Louis- 
burg,  about  a  hundred  miles  distant.  Instead  of  send 
ing  it  on  to  that  town  empty,  as  would  have  been  done 
by  our  coach  proprietors,  and  providing  another  (as  they 
had  plenty,)  for  the  passengers;  instead  of  this,  in  or 
der  to  save  the  extra  trouble  and  expense,  they  risked 
the  lives  of  the  passengers;  on  a  road  with  a  precipice 
on  one  side  of  it  for  at  least  four-fifths  of  the  way.  One 
of  the  wheels  would  not  hold  the  grease,  and  creaked 
most  ominously  during  the  whole  journey;  and  we  were 
obliged  to  stop  and  pour  water  on  it  continually.  The 
box  and  irons  of  the  other  were  loose,  and  before  we 
were  half  way  it  came  off,  and  we  were  obliged  to  stop 
and  get  out.  But  the  Americans  are  never  at  a  loss 
when  they  are  in  a  fix.  The  passengers  borrowed  an 
axe;  in  a  short  time  wedges  were  cut  from  one  of  tk e 
trees  at  the  road-side,  and  the  wheel  was  so  well  re 
paired  that  it  lasted  us  the  remainder  of  our  journey. 

Our  road  for  some  time  lay  through  the  valley  of 
Kenawha,  through  which  runs  the  river  of  that  name — 
a  strong,  clear  stream.  It  is  hemmed  in  by  mountains 
on  each  side  of  it;  and  here,  perhaps,  is  presented  the 
most  curious  varieties  of  mineral  produce  that  ever  were 
combined  in  one  locality.  The  river  runs  over  a  bed 
of  horizontal  calcareous  strata,  and  by  perforating  this 
strata  about  forty  or  fifty  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
river,  you  arrive  at  salt-springs,  the  waters  of  which 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  O 

are  pumped  up  by  small  steam-engines,  and  boiled 
down  into  salt  in  buildings  erected  on  the  river's  banks. 
The  mountains  which  hem  in  the  river  are  one  mass 
of  coal;  a  gallery  is  opened  at  that  part  of  the  foot  of 
the  mountain  most  convenient  to  the  buildings,  and 
the  coal  is  thrown  down  by  shoots  or  small  rail 
ways.  Here  you  have  coal  for  your  fuel;  salt  water 
under  fresh;  and  as  soon  as  the  salt  is  put  into  the  bar 
rels  (which  are  also  made  from  the  mountain  timber,) 
the  river  is  all  ready  to  transplant  them  down  to  the 
Ohio.  But  there  is  another  great  curiosity  in  this  val 
ley:  these  beds  of  coal  have  produced  springs,  as  they 
are  termed,  of  carburetted  hydrogen  gas,  which  run 
along  the  banks  of  the  river  close  to  the  water's  edge. 
The  negroes  take  advantage  of  these  springs  when  they 
come  down  at  night  to  wash  clothes;  they  set  fire  to  the 
springs,  which  yield  them  sufficient  light  for  their  work. 
The  one  which  I  examined  was  dry,  and  the  gas  bubbled 
up  through  the  sand.  By  kicking  the  sand  about,  so  as 
to  make  communications  after  I  had  lighted  the  gas,  I 
obtained  a  very  large  flame,  which  I  left  burning. 

The  heat,  as  we  ascended,  was  excessive,  and  the 
passengers  availed  themselves  of  every  spring,  with  the 
exception  of  those  just  described,  that  they  fell  in  with 
on  the  route.  We  drank  of  every  variety  of  water  ex 
cepting  pure  water — sometimes  iron,  sometimes  sul 
phur;  and,  indeed,  every  kind  of  chalybeate,  for  every 
rill  was  impregnated  in  some  way  or  another.  At  last, 
it  occurred  to  me  that  there  were  such  things  as  che 
mical  affinities,  and  that  there  was  no  saying  what 
changes  might  take  place  by  the  admixture  of  such  a 
variety  of  metals  and  gases,  so  I  drank  no  more.  I 
did  not  like,  however,  to  interfere  with  the  happiness  of 
others,  so  I  did  not  communicate  my  ideas  to  my  fellow- 
passengers,  who  continued  drinking  during  the  whole 
day;  and  as  I  afterwards  found  out,  did  not  sleep  very 
v/ell  that  night;  they  were,  moreover,  very  sparing  in 
die  use  of  them  the  next  day. 

There  area  great  variety  of  springs  already  dicovered 
on  these  mountains,  and  probably  there  will  be  a  grest 


DIARY   IN  AMERICA. 

many  more.  Already  they  have  the  blue,  the  white, 
and  the  red  sulphur  springs;  the  sweet  and  the  salt;  the 
warm  and  the  hot,  all  of  which  have  their  several  vir 
tues;  but  the  greatest  virtue  of  all  these  mineral  springs 
is,  as  in  England  and  every  where  else,  that  they  oc 
casion  people  to  live  regularly,  to  be  moderate  in  the 
use  of  wine,  and  to  dwell  in  a  pure  and  wholesome  air. 
They  always  remind  me  of  the  eastern  story  of  the  Der- 
-vise,  who,  being  sent  for  by  a  king  who  ha'd  injured  his 
health  by  continual  indulgence,  gave  him  a  racket-ball, 
which  he  informed  the  king  possessed  wonderful  medi 
cinal  virtues;  with  this  ball  his  majesty  was  to  play  at 
racket  two  or  three  hours  every  day  with  his  courtiers. 
The  exercise  it  induced,  which  was  the  only  medicinal 
virtue  the  ball  possessed,  restored  the  king  to  health. 
So  it  is  with  all  watering  places:  it  is  not  so  much  the  use 
of  the  water,  as  the  abstinence  from  what  is  pernicious, 
together  with  exercise  and  early  hours,  which  effect  the 
majority  of  cures. 

We  arrived  first  at  the  blue  sulphur  springs,  and  I 
remained  there  for  one  day  to  get  rid  of  the  dust  of  tra 
velling.  They  have  a  very  excellent  hotel  there,  with 
a  ball-room,  which  is  open  till  eleven  o'clock  every 
night;  the  scenery  is  very  pretty,  and  the  company  was 
good — as  indeed  is  the  company  at  all  these  springs, 
for  they  are  too  distant,  and  the  travelling  too  expensive 
for  every  body  to  get  there.  But  the  blue  sulphur  are 
not  fashionable,  and  the  consequence  was,  we  were 
not  crowded,  and  were  very  comfortable.  People  who 
cannot  get  accommodated  at  the  white  sulphur,  remain 
here  until  they  can,  the  distance  between  them  being 
only  twenty-two  miles. 

The  only  springs  which  are  fashionable  are  the  while 
sulphur,  and  as  these  springs  are  a  feature  in  American 
society,  I  shall  describe  them  more  particularly. 

They  are  situated  in  a  small  valley,  many  hundred 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  are  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  acres  in  area,  surrounded  by  small  hills  covered 
with  foliage  to  their  summits :  at  one  end  of  the  valley 
is  the  hotel,  with  the  large  dining-room  for  all  the  vi- 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  7 

sitors.  Close  to  the  hotel,  but  in  another  building,  is 
the  ball-room,  and  a  little  below  the  hotel  on  the  other 
side,  is  the  spring1  itself;  but  beautiful  as  is  the  whole 
scenery,  the  great  charm  of  this  watering  place  is,  the 
way  in  which  those  live  who  visit  it.  The  rises  of  the 
hills  which  surround  the  valley  are  covered  with  little 
cottages,  log-houses,  and  other  picturesque  buildings, 
sometimes  in  rows,  and  ornamented  with  verandahs, 
without  a  second  story  above,  or  kitchen  below.  Some 
are  very  elegant  and  more  commodious  than  the  rest, 
having  been  built  by  gentlemen  who  have  the  right  given 
to  them  by  the  company  to  whom  the  springs  belong, 
of  occupying  them  themselves  when  there,  but  not  of 
preventing  others  from  taking  possession  of  them  in 
their  absence.  The  dinners  and  other  meals  are,  ge 
nerally  speaking,  bad ;  not  that  there  is  not  a  plentiful 
supply,  but  that  it  is  so  difficult  to  supply  seven  hun 
dred  people  sitting  down  in  one  room.  In  the  morn 
ing,  they  all  turn  out  from  their  little  burrows,  meet  in 
the  public  walks,  and  go  down  to  the  spring  before 
breakfast;  during  the  forenoon,  when  it  is  too  warm, 
they  remain  at  home;  after  dinner  they  ride  out  or  pay 
visits,  and  then  end  the  day,  either  at  the  ball-room,  or 
in  little  societies  among  one  another.  There  is  no 
want  of  handsome  equipages,  many  four  in  hand  (Vir- 
ginny  long  tails)  and  every  accommodation  for  these  equi 
pages.  The  crowd  is  very  great,  and  it  is  astonishing 
what  inconvenience  people  will  submit  to,  rather  than 
not  be  accommodated  somehow  or  another.  Every 
cabin  is  like  a  rabbit  burrow.  In  the  one  next  to  where 
I  was  lodged,  in  a  room  about  fourteen  feet  square,  and 
partitioned  off  as  well  as  it  could  be,  there  slept  a  gen 
tleman  and  his  wife,  his  sister  and  brother,  and  a  female 
servant.  I  am  not  sure  that  the  nigger  was  not  under 
the  bed — at  all  events,  the  young  sister  told  me  that  it 
was  not  at  all  pleasant. 

There  is  a  sort  of  major-domo  here,  who  regulates 
every  department:   his  word  is  law,  and  his  fiat  im- 
moveable,  and  he   presumes  not  a  little  upon  his  pow 
er;   a  circumstance  not  to  be  surprised  at,  as  he  is  as 
1* 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 

much  courted  and  is  as  despotic  as  all  the  lady  patron  - 
esses  of  Almacks  rolled  into  one.  He  is  called  the 
Metternich  of  I'he  mountains.  No  one  is  allowed  ac 
commodation  at  these  springs  who  is  not  known,  and 
generally  speaking,  only  those  families  who  travel  in 
their  private  carriages.  It  is  at  this  place  that  you  feel 
how  excessively  aristocratical  and  exclusive  the  Amer 
icans  would  be,  and  indeed  will  be,  in  spite  of  their  in 
stitutions.  Spa,  in  its  palmiest  days,  when  princes 
had  to  sleep  in  their  carriages  at  the  doors  of  the 
Hotels,  was  not  more  in.  vogue  than. are  these  white 
sulphur  springs  with  the  elite  of  the  United  States. 
And  it  is  here,  and  here  only,  in  the  States,  that  you 
do  meet  with  what  may  be  fairly  considered  as  select 
society,  for  at  Washington  there  is  a  great  mixture. 
Of  course  all  the  celebrated  belles  of  the  different  State.s 
are  to  be  met  with  here,  as  well  as  all  the  large  fortune?, 
nor  is  there  a  scarcity  of  pretty  and  wealthy  widows, 
The  president,  Mrs.  Caton,  the  mother  of  Lady  Wel- 
lesley,  Lady  Strafford,  and  Lady  Caermarthen,  the 
daughter  of  Carrol,  of  Carrolton,  one  of  the  real  aristo 
cracy  of  America,  and  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  all  the  first  old  Virginian  and  Ca- 
roiinia  families,  many  of  them  descendants  of  the  old 
cavaliers,  were  at  the  springs  when  I  arrived  there;  and 
I  certainly  must  say  that  I  never  was  at  any  watering- 
place  in  England  where  the  company  was  so  good  and 
so.  select  as  at  the  Virginia  springs  in  America. 

I  .passed  many  pleasant  days  at  this  beautiful  spot, 
-ind  was  almost  as  unwilling  to  leave  it  as  I  was  to.  .part 
with  the  Sioux  Indians  at  St.  Peters.  Refinement  and 
simplicity  arc  equally  charming.  I  was  introduced  to 
a  very  beautiful  girl  here,  whom  I  should  not  have 
mentioned  so  particularly,  had  it  not  been  that  she 
was  the  first  and  only  lady  in  America  that  I  observed 
to  whittle.  She  was  sitting  one  fine  morning  on  a 
wooden  bench,  surrounded  by  admirers,  and  as  she 
carved  away  her  seat  with  her  pen-knife,  so  did  she 
cut  deep  into  the  .hearts  of  those  who  listened  to  her 
lively  conversation. 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  9 

There  are,  as  may  be  supposed,  a  large  number  of 
negro  servants  here  attending  their  masters  and  mis 
tresses.  I  have  often  been  amused,  not  only  here,  but 
during  my  residence  in  Kentucky,  at  the  high-sound 
ing  Christian  names  which  have  been  given  to  them. 
"Byron,  tell  Ada  to  come  here  directly."  "Now, 
Telemachus,  if  you  don't  leave  Calypso  alone,  you'll 
get  a  taste  of  the  cow-hide."'' 

Among  others,  attracted  to  the  springs  professionally, 
was  a  very  clever  German  painter,  who,  like  all  Ger 
mans,  had  a  very  correct  ear  for  music.  He  had 
painted  a  kitchen-dance  in  Old  Virginia,  and  in  the 
pictuce  he  had  introduced  all  the  well-known  coloured 
people  in  the  place;  amongst  the  rest  were  the  band 
of  musicians,  but  I  observed  that  one  man  was  missing, 
"Why  did  you  not  put  him  in,"  inquired  I.  "Why, 
sir,  I  could  not  put  him  in;  it  was  impossible;  he  never 
plays  in  tune.  Why,  if  I  put  him  in,  sir,  he  would 
spoil  the  harmony  of  my  whole  picture!" 

I  asked  this  artist  how  he  got  on  in  America.  He 
replied,  "But  so-so;  the  Americans  in  general  do  not 
estimate  genius.  They  come  to  me  and  ask  what 
I  want  for  my  pictures,  and  I  tell  them.  Then  they 
say,  *  how  long  did  it  take  you  to  paint  it?'  I  answer 
;  so  many  days.'  Well,  then  they  calculate  and  say, 
4  if  it  took  you  only  so  many  days,  you  ask  so  many 
dollars  a-day  for  your  work;  you  ask  a  great  deal  too 
much;  you  ought  to  be  content  with  so  much  per  day, 
and  I  will  give  you  that.'  So  that,  thought  I,  inven 
tion,  and  years  of  study,  go  for  nothing  with  these  peo 
ple.  There  is  only  one  way  to  dispose  of  a  picture  in 
\merica,  and  that  is,  to  raffle  it;  the  Americans  will 
then  run  the  chance  of  getting  i^.  If  you  do  not  like 
to  part  with  your  pictures  in  that  way,  you  must  paint 
portraits;  people  will  purchase  their  own  faces  all  over 
the  world:  the  worst  of  it  is,  that  in  this  country,  they 
will  purchase  nothing  else. 

During  my  stay  here  I  was  told  of  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  instances  that  perhaps  ever  occurred,  of  the 
discovery  of  a  fact  by  the  party  from  whom  it  was  of 


10  DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 

the  utmost  importance  to  conceal  it — a  very  pretty  in- 
teresting  young  widow.  She  had  married  a  promising 
young  man,  to  whom  she  was  tenderly  attached,  and 
who,  a  few  months  after  the  marriage,  unfortunately  fell 
in  a  duel.  Aware  that  the  knowledge  of  the  cause  of 
her  husband's  death  would  render  the  blow  still  more 
severe  to  her,  (the  ball  having  passed  through  the  eye 
into  his  brain,  and  there  being  no  evident  gun-shot 
wound,)  her  relations  informed  her  that  he  had  been 
thrown  from  his  horse  and  killed  by  the  fall.  She  be 
lieved  them.  She  was  living  in  the  country;  when, 
about  nine  months  after  her  widowhood,  her  brother 
rode  down  to  see  her,  and  as  soon  as  he  arrived  went 
into  his  room  to  shave  and  dress.  The  window  of  his 
room,  which  was  on  the  ground-floor,  looked  out  upon 
the  garden,  and  it  being  summer  time,  it  was  open.  He 
tore  oil"  a  portion  of  an  old  newspaper  to  wipe  his  razor. 
The  breeze  caught  it,  asd  carried  it  away  into  the  gar 
den  until  it  stopped  at  the  feet  of  his  sis-ter  who  hap 
pened  to  be  walking.  Mechanically  she  took  up  the 
fragment,  and  perceiving  her  husband's  name  upon  it 
she  read  it.  It  contained  a  full  account  of  the  duel  in 
which  he  lost  his  life!  The  shock  she  received  was  so 
great  that  it  unsettled  her  mind  for  nearly  two  years. 
She  had  but  just  recovered,  and  for  the  first  time  re-ap 
peared  in  public,  when  she  was  pointed  out  to  me. 

Returning  to  Guyandotte  one  of  the  travellers  wished 
to  see  the  view  from  the  Hawk's  Nest,  or  rather  wished 
to  be  able  to  say  that  he  had  seen  it.  We  passed  the 
spot  when  it  was  quite  dark,  but  he  persisted  in  going 
there,  and  to  help  his  vision,  borrowed  one  of  the  coach- 
lamps  from  the  driver.  He  returned,  and  declared  that 
with  the  assistance  of  the  lamp  lie  had  had  a  very  ex 
cellent  view,  down  a  precipice  of  several  hundred  feet, 
His  bird's-eye  view  by  candle-light  must  have  been 
very  extensive.  After  all,  it  is  but  to  be  able  to  say 
that  they  have  been  to  such  a  place,  or  have  seen  such  a 
thing  that,  more  than  any  real  taste  for  it,  induces  the 
majority  of  the  world  to  incur  the  trouble  and  fatigue  of 
travelling. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


1  WAS  informed  that  a  camp  meeting  was  to  be  held 
about  seven  miles  from  Cincinnati,  and,  anxious  to  veri 
fy  the  accounts  I  had  heard  of  them,  I  availed  myself 
of  this  opportunity  of  deciding  for  myself.  We  pro 
ceeded  about  five  miles  on  the  high  road,  and  then  di 
verged  by  a  cross-road  until  we  arrived  at  a  steep  coni 
cal  hill,  crowned  with  splendid  forest  trees  without  un 
derwood;  the  trees  being  sufficiently  apart  to  admit  of 
wagons  and  other  vehicles  to  pass  in  every  direction. 
The  camp  was  raised  upon  the  summit  of  this  hill,  a 
piece  of  table-land  comprising  many  acres.  About  an 
acre  and  a  half  was  surrounded  on  the  four  sides  by  cabins 
built  up  of  rough  boards;  the  whole  area  in  the  centre  was* 
fitted  up  with  planks,  laid  about  a  foot  from  the  ground^ 
as  seats.  At  one  end,  but  not  close  to  the  cabins,  was 
a  raised  stand,  which  served  as  a  pulpit  for  the  preach 
ers,  one  of  them  praying,  while  five  or  six  others  sat 
down  behind  him  on  benches.  There  \vas  ingress  to 
the  area  by  the  four  corners;  the  whole  of  it  was  shaded 
by  vast  forest  trees,  which  ran  up  to  the  height  of  fifty 
or  sixty  feet  without  throwing  out  a  branch;  and  to  the 
trunks  of  these  trees  were  fixed  lamps  in  every  direc 
tion,  for  the  continuance  of  service  by  night.  Outside 
the  area,  which  may  be  designated  as  the  church,  were 
hundreds  of  tents  pitched  in  every  quarter,  their  snowy 
whiteness  contrasting  beautifully  with  the  deep  verdure 
and  gloom  of  the  forest.  These  were  the  temporary  ha 
bitations  of  those  who  had  corne  many  miles  to  attend  the 
meeting,  and  who  remained  there  from  the  commence 
ment  until  it  concluded — usually  a  period  of  from  ten  to 


12 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 


twelve  days,  but  often  much  longer.  The  tents  were 
furnished  with  every  article  necessary  for  cooking;  mat 
tresses  to  sleep  upon,  &c.;  some  of  them  even  had  bed 
steads  and  chests  of  drawers,  which  had  been  brought 
in  the  waggons  in  which  the  people  in  this  country 
usually  travel.  At  a  farther  distance  were  all  the  wag 
gons  and  other  vehicles  which  had  conveyed  the  peo 
ple  to  the  meeting,  whilst  hundreds  of  horses  were 
tethered  under  the  trees,  and  plentifully  provided  with 
forage.  Such  were  the  general  outlines  of  a  most  in 
teresting  and  beautiful  scene. 

Where,  indeed,  could  so  magnificent  a  temple  to  the 
Lord  be  raised  as  on  this  lofty  hill,  crowned  as  it  was 
with  such  majestic  verdure.  Compared  with  these 
giants  of  the  forest,  the  cabins  and  tents  of  the  multi 
tude  appeared  as  insignificant  and  contemptible  as  almost 
would  man  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  Deity.  Many 
generations  of  men  must  have  been  mowed  down  before 
the  arrival  of  these  enormous  trees  to  their  present  state 
of  maturity ;  and  at  the  time  they  sent  forth  their  first 
shoots,  probably  there  were  not  on  the  whole  of  this 
continent,  now  teeming  with  millions,  as  many  white 
men  as  are  now  assembled  on  this  lield.  I  walked  about 
for  some  time  surveying  the  panorama,  when  I  returned 
to  the  area,  and  took  my  seat  upon  a  bench.  In  one 
quarter  thecoloured  population  had  collected  themselves; 
their  tents  appeared  to  be  better  furnished  and  better 
supplied  with  comforts  than  most  of  those  belonging 
to  the  whites.  I  put  my  head  into  one  of  the  tents,  and 
discovered  a  sable  damsel  lying  on  a  bed,  and  singing 
hyms  in  a  loud  voice. 

The  major  portion  of  those  not  in  the  area  were 
cooking  the  dinners.     Fires  were  burning  in  every  di 
rection  :  pots  boiling,  chickens  roasting,  hams  seeth 
ing ;  indeed  there  appeared  to  be  no  want  of  creature 
comforts. 

But  the  trumpet  sounded,  as  in  days  of  yore,  as 
a  signal  that  the  service  was  about  to  recommence, 
and  I  went  into  the  area  and  took  my  seat.  One  of 
the  preachers  rose  and  gave  out  a  hymn,  which  wag 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  13 

sung  by  the  congregation,  amounting  to  about  seven 
or  eight  hundred.  After  the  singing  of  the  hymn  was 
concluded  he  commenced  an  extempore  sermon :  it 
was  good,  sound  doctrine,  and,  although  Methodism, 
it  was  Methodism  of  the  mildest  tone,  and  divested  of 
its  bitterness  of  denunciation,  as  indeed  is  generally 
the  case  with  Methodism  in  America.  I  heard  nothing 
which  could  be  offensive  to  any  other  sect,  or  which 
could  be  considered  objectionable  by  the  most  ortho 
dox,  and  I  began  to  doubt  whether  such  scenes  as 
had  been  described  to  me  did  really  take  place  at  these 
meetings.  A  prayer  followed,  and  after  about  two 
hours  the  congregation  were  dismissed  to  their  din 
ners,  being  first  informed  that  the  service  would  re 
commence  at  two  o'clock  at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet. 
In  front  of  the  pulpit  there  was  a  space  railed  off,  and 
strewed  with  straw,  which  I  was  told  was  the  Anxious 
seat,  and  on  which  sat  those  who  were  touched  by 
their  consciences,  or  the  discourse  of  the  preacher ;  but, 
although  there  were  several  sitting  on  it,  I  did  not  per 
ceive  any  emotion  on  the  part  of  the  occupants:  they 
were  attentive,  but  nothing  more. 

When  I  first  examined  the  area  I  saw  a  very  large 
tent  at  one  corner  of  if,  probably  fifty  feet  long,  by 
twenty  wide.  It  was  open  at  the  end,  and,  being  full 
of  straw,  I  concluded  it  was  used  as  a  sleeping-place 
for  those  who  had  not  provided  themselves  with  sepa 
rate  accommodation.  About  an  hour  after  the  service 
was  over,  perceiving  many  people  directing  their  steps 
towards  it,  I  followed  them.  On  one  side  of  the  tent 
were  about  twenty  females,  mostly  young,  squatted 
down  on  the  straw;  on  the  other  a  few  men;  in  the 
centre  was  a  long  form,  agninst  which  were  some  other 
men  kneeling,  with  their  faces  covered  with  their  hands, 
as  if  occupied  in  prayer.  Gradually  the  numbers  in 
creased,  girl  after  girl  dropped  down  upon  the  straw 
on  the  one  side,  and  men  on  the  other.  At  last  an  el 
derly  man  gave  out  a  hymn,  which  was  sung  with 
peculiar  energy;  then  another  knelt  down  in  the  cen 
tre,  and  commenced  a  prayer,  shutting  his  eyes  (as  I 


14  DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 

have  observed  most  clergymen  in  the  United  States 
do  when  they  pray)  and  raising  his  hands  above  his 
head ;  then  another  burst  out  into  a  prayer,  and  ano 
ther  followed  him ;  then  their  voices  became  all  con 
fused  together ;  and  then  were  heard  the  more  silvery 
tones  of  woman's  supplications  As  the  din  increased 
so  did  their  enthusiasm;  handkerchiefs  were  raised  to 
bright  eyes,  and  sobs  were  intermingled  with  prayers 
and  ejaculations.  It  became  a  scene  of  Babel;  more 
than  twenty  men  and  women  were  crying  out  at  the 
highest  pitch  of  their  voices,  and  trying  apparently  to 
be  heard  above  the  others.  Every  minute  the  excite 
ment  increased ;  some  wrung  their  hands  and  called 
for  mercy;  some  tore  their  hair;  boys  lay  down  cry 
ing  bitterly,  with  their  heads  buried  in  the  straw ;  there 
was  sobbing  almost  to  suffocation,  and  hysterics  and 
deep  agony.  One  young  man  clung  to  the  form,  cry 
ing,  "  Satan  tears  at  me,  but  I  will  hold  fast.  Help — 
help,  he  drags  me  down  !"  It  was  a  scene  of  horrible 
agony  and  despair  ;  and,  when  it  was  at  its  height,  one 
of  the  preachers  came  in,  and,  raising  his  voice  high 
above  the  tumult,  entreated  the  Lord  to  receive  into 
his  fold  those  who  now  repented  and  would  fain  return. 
Another  of  the  ministers  knelt  down  by  some  young 
men,  whose  faces  were  covered  up  and  who  appeared 
to  be  almost  in  a  state  of  phrensy;  and  putting  his  hands 
upon  them,  poured  forth  an  energetic  prayer,  well  cal 
culated  to  work  upon  their  over  excited  feelings. 
Groans,  ejaculations,  broken  sobs,  frantic  motions  and 
convulsions  succeeded  ;  some  fell  on  their  backs  with 
their  eyes  closed,  waving  their  hands  with  a  slow  mo 
tion,  and  crying  out — "  Glory,  glory,  glory  !"  I  quitted 
the  spot,  and  hastened  away  into  the  forest,  for  the 
sight  was  too  painful,  too  melancholy.  Its  sincerity 
could  not  be  doubted,  but  it  was  the  effect  of  over-ex 
citement,  not  of  sober  reasoning.  Could  such  violence 
of  feeling  have  been  produced  had  each  party  retired 
to  commune  alone? — most  surely  not.  It  was  a  fever 
created  by  collision  and  contact,  of  the  same  nature 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  15 

as  that  which  stimulates  a  mob  to  deeds  of  blood  and 
horror. 

Gregarious  animals  are  by  nature  inoffensive.  The 
cruel  and  the  savage  live  apart,  and  in  solitude ;  but 
the  gregarious,  upheld  and  stimulated  by  each  other, 
become  formidable.  So  it  is  with  man. 

I  was  told  that  the  scene  would  be  much  more  in 
teresting  and  exciting  after  the  lamps  were  lighted ;  but 
I  had  seen  quite  enough  of  it.  It  was  too  serious  to 
laugh  at,  and  I  felt  that  it  was  not  for  me  to  condemn. 
"Cry  aloud,  and  spare  not,"  was  the  exhortation  of  the 
preacher ;  and  certainly,  if  heaven  is  only  to  be  taken 
by  storm,  he  was  a  proper  leader  for  his  congrega 
tion. 

Whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of  the  reader  as  to  the 
meeting  which  I  have  described,  it  is  certain  that  no 
thing  could  be  more  laudable  than  the  intention  by 
which  these  meetings  were  originated.  At  the  first 
settling  of  the  country  the  people  were  widely  scatter 
ed,  and  the  truths  of  the  Gospei,  owing  to  the  scarcity 
of  preachers,  but  seldom  heard.  It  was  to  remedy  this 
unavoidable  evil  that  they  agreed,  like  the  Christians 
in  earlier  times,  to  collect  together  from  all  quarters, 
and  pass  many  days  in  meditation  and  prayer,  "  ex 
horting  one  another — comforting  one  another."  Even 
now  it  is  not  uncommon  for  the  settlers  in  Indiana  and 
Illinois  to  travel  one  hundred  miles  in  their  wagons  to 
attend  ene  of  these  meetings, — meetings  which  are 
now  too  often  sullied  by  fanaticism  on  the  one  hand, 
and  on  the  other  by  the  levity  and  infidelity  of  those 
who  go  not  to  pray,  but  to  scoff;  or  to  indulge  in  the 
licentiousness  which,  it  is  said,  but  too  often  follows, 
when  night  has  thrown  her  veil  over  the  scene. 


VOL.  II. — 2 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


LKXIKGTON,  the  capital  of  the  State,  is  embosomed  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  vale  of  Kentucky.  This  vale  wa^ 
the  favourite  hunting-ground  of  the  Indians;  and  a 
fairer  country  for  the  chase  could  not  well  be  imagined 
than  this  rolling,  well-wooded,  luxuriant  valley,  ex 
tending  from  hill  to  hill,  from  dale  to  dale,  for  so  many 
long  miles.  No  wonder  that  the  Indians  fought  so  hard 
to  retain,  or  the  Virginians  to  acquire  it ;  nor  was  it 
until  much  blood  had  saturated  the  ground,  many  reek 
ing  scalps  had  been  torn  from  the  head,  and  many  a 
mother  and  her  children  murdered  at  their  hearths,  that 
the  contest  was  relinquished.  So  severe  were  the 
struggles,  that  the  ground  obtained  the  name  of  the 
"  Bloody  Ground."  But  the  strife  is  over ;  the  red  man 
has  been  exterminated,  and  peace  and  plenty  now  reign 
over  this  smiling  country.  It  is  indeed  a  beautiful  and 
bounteous  land;  on  the  whole,  the  most  eligible  in  the 
Union.  The  valley  is  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and,  therefore,  not  so  sub 
ject  to  fevers  as  the  States  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and 
indeed  that  portion  of  its  own  State  which  borders  on 
the  Mississippi.  But  all  the  rest  of  the  Kentucky  land 
is  by  no  means  equal  in  richness  of  soil  to  that  of  thi? 
valley.  There  are  about  ninety  counties  in  the  State, 
of  which  about  thirty  are  of  rich  land;  but  four  of  them, 
namely,  Fayette,  Bourbon,  Scotts,  and  Woodford,  are 
the  finest.  The  whole  of  these  four  counties  are  held 
by  large  proprietors,  who  graze  and  breed  stock  to  a 
very  great  extent,  supplying  the  whole  of  the  Western 
States  with  the  best  description  of  every  kind  of  cattle. 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  I/ 

Cattle-shows  are  held  every  year,  and  high  prize? 
awarded  to  the  owners  of  the  finest  beasts  which  are 
there  produced.  The  State  of  Kentucky,  as  well  as 
Virginia,  is  in  fact  an  agricultural  and  grazing  State: 
the  pasture  is  very  rich,  and  studded  with  oak  and 
other  timber,  as  in  the  manner  I  have  described  in 
Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  The  staples  of  Kentucky  are 
hemp  and  mules  ;  the  latter  are  in  such  demand  for  the 
south  that  they  can  hardly  produce  them  fast  enough 
for  the  market.  The  minimum  price  of  a  three  year 
old  mule  is  about  eighty  dollars;  the  maximum  usually 
one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars,  or  thirty-five  pounds, 
but  they  often  fetch  much  higher  prices.  I  saw  a  pair 
in  harness,  well  matched,  and  about  seventeen  hands 
high,  for  which  they  refused  one  thousand  dollars — 
upwards  of  two  hundred  pounds. 

The  cattle-show  took  place  when  I  was  at  Lexington. 
That  of  horned  beasts  I  was  too  late  for;  but  the  se 
cond  day  I  went  to  the  exhibition  of  thorough-bred 
horses.  The  premiums  were  for  the  best  two-year  old 
yearlings,  and  colts,  and  many  of  them  were  very  fine 
animals.  The  third  day  was  for  the  exhibition  of 
mules ;  which,  on  account  of  size  there  being  a  great 
desideratum,  are  bred  only  from  mares:  the  full-grown 
averaged  from  fifteen  to  sixteen  hands  high,  but  they 
isayd  often  been  knovrn  to  be  seventeen  hands  hisrh. 
I  had  seen  them  quite  as  large  in  a  nobleman's  carriage 
in  the  south  of  Spain;  but  then  they  were  considered 
rare,  and  of  great  value.  After  all  the  other  varieties 
of  age  had  made  their  appearance,  and  the  judges 
had  given  their  decision,  the  mules  foaled  down  this 
year  were  to  be  examined.  As  they  were  still  suck 
ing,  it  was  necessary  that  the  brood  mares  should  be 
Jed  into  the  enclosed  paddock,  where  the  animals  were 
inspected,  that  the  foals  might  be  induced  to  follow :  as 
soon  as  they  were  all  in  the  enclosure  the  mares  were 
sent  out,  leaving  all  the  foals  by  themselves.  At  first 
they  commenced  a  concert  of  wailing  after  their  mo 
thers,  and  then  turned  their  lamentations  into  indigna- 


18 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 


tion  and  revenge  upon  each  other.  Such  a  ridiculous- 
scene  of  kicking  took  place  as  J  never  before  witnessed; 
about  thirty  of  them  being  most  sedulously  engaged  in 
the  occupation,  all  at  the  same  time.  I  never  saw  such 
ill -behaved  mules ;  it  was  quite  impossible  for  the  judges 
to  decide  upon  the  prize,  for  you  could  see  nothing  but 
heels  in  the  air;  it  was  rap,  rap,  rap,  incessantly 
against  one  another's  sides,  until  they  were  all  turned 
out  and  the  show  was  over.  I  rather  think  the  prize 
must,  in  this  instance,  have  been  awarded  to  the  one 
that  kicked  highest. 

The  fourth  day  was  for  the  exhibition  of  jackasses, 
of  two  year  and  one  year,  and  for  foals,  and  jennies 
also;  this  sight  was  to  me  one  of  peculiar  interest. 
Accustomed  as  we  are  in  England  to  value  a  jackass 
at  thirty  shillings,  we  look  down  upon  them  with  con 
tempt;  but  here  is  the  case  reversed  :  you  look  up  at 
them  with  surprise  and  admiration.  Several  were 
shown  standing  fifteen  hands  high,  with  head  and  ears 
in  proportion  :  the  breed  has  been  obtained  from  the 
Maltese  jackass,  crossed  by  those  of  Spain  and  the 
south  of  France.  Those  imported  seldom  average 
more  than  fourteen  hands  high ;  but  the  Kcntuckians, 
by  greater  attention  and  care,  have  raised  them  up  to 
fifteen  hands,  and  sometimes  even  to  sixteen. 

But  the  price  paid  for  these  splendid  animals,  for 
such  they  really  were,  will  prove  how  much  they  are 
in  request.  Warrior,  a  jackass  of  great  celebrity,  sold 
for  5,000  dollars,  upwards  of  £1,000  sterling.  Half  of 
another  jackass,  Benjamin  by  name,  was  sold  for 
2,500  dollars.  At  the  show  I  asked  a  gentleman  what 
he  wanted  for  a  very  beautiful  female  ass,  only  one 
year  old;  he  said  that  he  could  have  1,000  dollars, 
£250  for  her,  but  that  he  had  refused  that  sum.  For 
a  two  year  old  jack,  shown  during  the  exhibition,  they 
asked  3,000  dollars,  more  than  £600.  I  never  felt 
such  respect  for  donkeys  before;  but  the  fact  is,  that 
mule-breeding  is  so  lucrative,  that  there  is  no  price 
•which  a  very  large  donkey  will  not  command, 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  19 

I  afterwards  went  to  a  cattle  sale  a  few  miles  out  of 
the  town.  Don  Juan,  a  two  year  old  bull,  Durham 
breed,  fetched  1,075  dollars;  an  imported  Durham 
cow,  with  her  calf,  985  dollars.  Before  I  arrived,  a 
bull  and  cow  fetched  1,300  dollars  each  of  them,  about 
£^280.  The  cause  of  this  is,  that  the  demand  for  good 
slock,  now  that  the  Western  States  are  filling  up,  be 
comes  so  great,  that  they  cannot  be  produced  fast 
enough.  Mr.  Clay,  who  resides  near  Lexington,  is  one 
of  the  best  breeders  in  the  State,  which  is  much  in 
debted  to  him  for  the  fine  stock  which  he  has  imported 
from  England. 

Another  sale  took  place,  which  I  attended,  and  I 
quote  the  prices: — Yearling  bull,  1,000  dollars;  ditto 
heifer,  1,500.  Cows,  of  full  Durham  blood,  but  bred 
in  Kentucky,  1,245  dollars;  ditto,  1,235  dollars.  Im 
ported  cow  and  calf,  2,100  dollars. 

It  must  be  considered,  that  although  a  good  Durham 
oow  will  not  cost  more  than  twenty  guineas  perhaps 
in  England,  the  expenses  of  transport  are  very  great, 
and  they  generally  stand  in,  to  the  importers,  about 
600  dollars,  before  they  arrive  at  the  state  of  Ken 
tucky. 

But  to  prove  that  the  Kentuckians  are  fully  justified 
in  giving  the  prices  they  do,  I  will  show  what  was  the 
profit  made  upon  an  old  cow  before  she  was  sold  for 
400  dollars.  I  had  a  statement  from  her  proprietor, 
who  had  her  in  his  possession  for  nine  years.  She  was 
a  full  bred  cow,  and  during  the  time  that  he  had  held 
her  in  his  possession,  she  had  cleared  him  15,000  dol 
lars  by  the  sate  of  her  progeny :  As  follows : — 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA, 


Second 

Third 

Fourth 

Years. 

Calves. 

Gensration. 

Generation. 

Generation. 

1 

1 

2 

1 

3 

1 

1 

4 

1 

1 

5 

1 

1 

1 

6 

1 

1 

i 

7 

1 

1 

1 

i 

8 

1 

1 

1 

1 

9 

1 

1 

1 

1 

9 

7 

5 

3 

Total,  24.-. 


averaging  625  dollars  a  head,  which  is  by  no  means  a 
large  price,  as  the  two  cows,  which  sold  at  the  sale  for 
1,235,  and  1,225  dollars,  were  a  part  of  her  issue. 

Lexington  is  a  very  pretty  town,  with  very  pleasant 
society,  and  afforded  me  great  relief  after  the  unplea 
sant  sojourn  I  had  had  at  Louisville;  Conversing  one 
day  with  Mr.  Clay,  I  had  another  instance  given  me 
of  the  mischief  which  the  conduct  of  Miss  Martineau 
Las  entailed  upon  all  those  English  who  may  happen 
to  visit  America.  Mr.  Clay  observed  that  Miss  Mar 
tineau  had  remained  with  him  for  some  time,  and  that, 
during  her  stay,  she  had  professed  very  different,  or  at 
least  more  modified  opinions  on  the  subject  of  slavery, 
than  those  she  has  expressed  in  her  book :  so  much  so, 
that  one  day,  having  read  a  letter  from  Boston  caution 
ing  her  against  being  cajoled  by  the  hospitality  and 
pleasant  society  of  the  Western  States,  she  handed  it 
to  him,  saying,  "  They  want  to  make  a  regular  aboli- 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  2l 

tionist  of  me.",  "  When  her  work  came  out,"  continued 
Mr.  Clay,  "  although  I  read  but  very  little  of  it,  I  turned 
to  this  subject  so  important  with  us,  and  I  must  say  I 
was  a  little  surprised  to  find  that  she  had  so  changed 
her  opinions."  The  fact  is,  Miss  Martineau  appears  to 
have  been  what  the  Kentuckians  call,  "  playing  'pos 
sum."  I  have  met  with  some  of  the  Southern  ladies 
whose  conversations  on  slavery  are  said,  o-r  supposed, 
to  have  been  those  printed  by  Miss  Martineau,  and 
they  deny  that  they  are  correct.  That  the  Southern 
ladies  are  very  apt  to  express  great  horror  at  living 
too  long  a  time  at  the  plantations,  is  very  certain ;  not, 
however,  because  they  expect  to  be  murdered  in  their 
beds  by  the  slaves,  as  they  tell  their  husbands,  but  be 
cause  they  are  anxious  to  spend  more  of  their  time  at 
the  cities,  where  they  can  enjoy  more  luxury  and 
amusement  than  can  be  procured  at  the  plantations. 

Every  body  rides  in  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  master, 
man,  woman,  and  slave,  zuid  they  all  ride  well:  it  is 
quite  as  common  to  meet  a  woman  on  horseback  as  a 
man,  and  it  is  a  pretty  sight  in  their  States  ta  walk  by 
the  church  doors  and  see  them  all  arrive.  The  churches 
have  stables,  or  rather  sheds,  built  close  to-  them,  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  cattle. 

Elopements  in  these  States  are  all  made  on  horse 
back.  The  goal  to  be  obtained  is  to  cross  to  the  other 
side  of  the  Ohio.  The  consequence  is  that  it  is  a  regu 
lar  steeple-chase;  the  young  couple  clearing  every 
thing,  father  and  brothers  following.  Whether  it  is 
that,  having  the  choice,  the  young  people  are  the  best 
mounted,  I  know  not,  but  the  runaways  are  seldom 
overtaken.  One  couple  crossed  the  Ohio  when  I  was 
at  Cincinnati,  and  had  just  time  to  tie  the  noose  before 
their  pursuers  arrived. 

At  Lexington,  on  Sunday,  there  is  not  a  carnage  or 
horse  to  be  obtained  by  a  white  man  for  any  conside 
ration,  they  having  all  been  regularly  engaged  for  that 
day  by  the  negro  slaves,  who  go  out  junketting  in  every 
direction.  Where  they  get  the  money  I  do  not  know ; 
but  certain  it  is,  that  it  is  always  produced  when  re- 


DIA.KY   IN  AMERICA. 


quired.     I  was  waiting  at  the  counter  of  a  sort  of  pas 
try-cook's,  when  three  negro  lads,  about   twelve  or 
fourteen  years  old,  came  in,  and  in  a  most  authorita 
tive  tone,  ordered  three  glasses  of  soda-water 
Returned  to  Louisville 


CHAPTER  XXXIV, 


THERE  is  one  great  inconvenience  in  American  tra 
velling,  arising  from  the  uncertainty  of  river  navigation. 
Excepting  the  Lower  Mississippi  and  the  Hudson,  and 
not  always  the  latter,  the  communication  by  water  is 
obstructed  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year, 
by  ice  in  the  winter,  or  a  deficiency  of  water  in  the 
dry  season.  This  has  been  a  remarkable  season  for 
heat  and  drought;  and  thousands  of  people  remain  in 
the  States  of  Ohio,  Virginia,  and  Kentucky,  who  are 
most  anxious  to  return  home.  It  must  be  understood, 
that  during  the  unhealthy  season  in  the  Southern 
States  on  the  Mississippi,  the  planters,  cotton-growers, 
slave-holders,  store-keepers,  and  indeed  almost  every 
class,  excepting  the  slaves  and  overseers,  migrate  to 
the  northward,  to  escape  the  yellow  fever,  and  spend 
a  portion  of  their  gains  in  amusement 

They  go  to  Cincinnati  and  the  towns  of  Ohio,  to  the 
Lakes  occasionally,  but  principally  to  the  cities  and 
watering  places  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  more  espe 
cially  Louisville,  where  I  now  am ;  and  Louisville,  be 
ing  also  the  sort  of  general  rendezvous  for  departure 
south,  is  now  crammed  with  Southern  people.  The 
steam-boats  cannot  run,  for  the  river  is  almost  dry ; 
and  I  (as  well  as  others)  have  been  detained  much 
longer  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  than  was  my  intention. 
There  is  land-carriage  certainly,  but  the  heat  of  the 
weather  is  so  overpowering  that  even  the  Southerns 
dread  it;  and  in  consequence  of  this  extreme  heat,  the 
sickness  in  these  western  States  has  been  much  great- 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 

er  than  usual.  Even  Kentucky,  especially  that  part 
which  borders  on  the  Mississippi,  which,  generally  speak 
ing,  is  healthy,  is  now  suffering  under  malignant  fevers. 
I  may  here  remark,  that  the  two  States,  Illinois  and  In 
diana,  and  the  western  portions  of  Kentucky  and  Ten 
nessee,  are  very  unhealthy ;  not  a  year  passes  without 
a  great  mortality  from  the  bilious  congestive  fever,  a 
variety  of  the  yellow  fevei\  and  the  ague ;  more  espe 
cially  Illinois  and  Indiana,  with  the  western  portion  of 
Ohio,  which  is  equally  flat  with  the  other  two  States, 
The  two  States  of  Indiana  and  Illinois  lie,  as  it  were, 
at  the  bottom  of  the  western  basin;  the  soil  is  wonder 
fully  rich,  but  the  drainage  is  insufficient,  as  may  be 
seen  from  the  sluggishness  with  which  these  rivers 
flow.  Many  and  many  thousands  of  poor  Irish  emi 
grants,  and  settlers  also,  have  been  struck  down  by 
disease,  never  to  rise  again,  in  these  rich,  but  unhealthy 
States;  to  which, stimulated  by  the  works  published  by 
land-speculators,  thousands  and  thousands  every  year 
repair,  and  notwithstanding  the  annual  expenditure  of 
life,  rabidly  increase  the  population.  I  had  made  up  my 
misKl  4o  travel  by  land  carriage  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
through  the  States  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  but  two  Ame 
rican  gentlemen,  who  had  just  arrived  by  that  route,  suc 
ceeded  in  dissuading  me.  They  had  come  over  on  horse 
back.  They  described  the  disease  and  mortality  as  dread 
ful.  That  sometimes,  when  they  wished  to  put  up  their 
horses  at  seven  or  eight  o*clock  in  the  evening,  they  were 
compelled  to  travel  on  till  twelve  or  one  o'clock  before 
they  could  gain  admittance,  some  portion  in  every  house 
suffering  under  the  bilious  fever,  tertian  ague,  or  flux. 
They  described  the  scene  as  quite  appalling.  At  some 
houses  there  was  not  one  person  able  to  rise  and  at 
tend  upon  the  others;  all  were  dying  or  dead;  and  to 
increase  the  misery  of  their  situations,  the  springs  had 
dried  up,  and  in  many  places  they  could  not  procure 
water  except  by  sending  many  miles.  A  friend  of  mine, 
who  had  been  on  a  mission  through  the  portion  of 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee  bordering  on  the  Mississippi, 
made  a  very  similar  statement.  He  was  not  refused 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  25 

to  remain  where  he  stopped,  but  he  could  procure  no 
assistance,  and  every  where  ran  the  risk  of  contagion. 
He  said  that  some  of  the  people  were  obliged  to  send 
their  negroes  with  a  wagon  upwards  of  fifteen  miles  to 
wash  their  clothes. 

That  this  has  been  a  very  unhealthy  season  is  cer 
tain,  but  still,  from  all  the  information  I  could  obtain, 
there  is  a  great  mortality  every  year  in  the  districts  t 
have  pointed  out ;  and  such,  indeed,  must  be  the  case, 
from  the  miasma  created  every  fall  of  the  year  in  these 
rich  alluvial  soils,  some  portions  of  which  have  been 
worked  for  fifty  years  without  the  assistance  of  manure, 
and  still  yield  abundant  crops.  It  will  be  a  long  while 
before  the  drainage  necessary  to  render  them  healthy 
can  be  accomplished.  The  sickly  appearance  of  the 
inhabitants  establishes  but  too  well  the  facts  related  to 
me;  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  it  would  appear  to  be  a 
provision  of  Providence,  that  a  remarkable  fecundity 
on  the  part  of  the  women  in  the  more  healthy  portions 
of  their  Western  States,  should  meet  the  annual  ex 
penditure  of  life.  Three  children  at  a  birth  are  more 
common  here  than  twins  are  in  England ;  and  they, 
generally  speaking,  are  all  reared  up.  There  have 
been  many  instances  of  even  four. 

The  western  valley  of  America,  of  which  the  Mis 
sissippi  may  be  considered  as  the  common  drain,  must, 
from  the  surprising  depth  of  the  alluvial  soil,  have  been 
(ages  back)  wholly  under  water,  and,  perhaps,  by  some 
convulsion  raised  up.  What  insects  are  we  in  our 
own  estimation  when  we  meditate  upon  such  stupen 
dous  changes! 

Since  I  have  been  in  these  States  I  have  been  sur 
prised  at  the  stream  of  emigration  which  appears  to 
flow  from  North  Carolina  to  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Mis 
souri.  Every  hour  you  meet  with  a  caravan  of  emi 
grants  from  that  sterile  but  healthy  state.  Every 
night  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  are  lighted  up  with  their 
fires,  where  they  have  bivouacked  previously  to  cross 
ing  the  river;  but  they  are  not  like  the  poor  German 


'26  DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 

or  Irish  settlers :  they  are  well  prepared,  and  have  no 
thing  to  do,  apparently,  but  to  sit  down  upon  their 
land.  These  caravans  consist  of  two  or  three  covered 
\vagons,  full  of  women  and  children,  furniture,  and 
other  necessaries,  each  draxvn  by  a  team  of  horses ; 
brood  mares,  with  foals  by  their  sides,  following;  half 
a  dozen  or  more  rows,  flanked  on  each  side  by  the 
men,  with  their  long  rifles  on  their  shoulders ;  some 
times  a  boy  or  two,  or  a  half-grown  girl  on  horseback. 
Occasionally  they  wear  an  appearance  of  more  refine 
ment  and  cultivation,  as  well  as  wealth,  the  principals 
travelling  in  a  sort  of  worn-out  old  carnage,  the  re 
mains  of  the  competence  of  former  days. 

I  often  surmised,  as  they  travelled  cheerfully  along, 
saluting  me  as  they  passed  by,  whether  they  would 
not  repent  their  decision,  and  sigh  for  their  pine  bar 
rens  and  heath,  after  they  had  discovered  that  with 
fertility  they  had  to  encounter  such  disease  and  mor 
tality. 

I  have  often  heard  it  asserted  by  Englishmen,  that 
America  has  no  coal.  There  never  was  a  greater 
mistake :  she  has  an  abundance,  and  of  the  very  finest 
-that  ever  was  seen.  At  Wheeling  and  Pittsburg,  and 
on  all  the  borders  of  the  Ohio  river  above  Guyandotte, 
they  have  an  inexhaustible  supply,  equal  to  the  very 
best  offered  to  the  London  market.  All  the  spurs  of 
the  Alieghany  range  appear  to  be  one  mass  of  coal. 
In  the  Eastern  States  the  coal  is  of  a  different  quality, 
although  there  is  some  very  tolerable.  The  anthracite 
is  bad,  throwing  out  a  strong  sulphureous  gas.  The 
fact  is  that  wood  is  at  present  cheaper  than  coal,  and, 
therefore,  the  latter  is  not  in  demand.  An  American 
told  me  one  day,  that  a  company  had  been  working  a 
coal  mine  in  an  Eastern  State,  which  proved  to  be  of 
a  very  bad  quality;  they  had  sent  some  to  an  influen 
tial  person  as  a  present,  requesting  him  to  give  his 
opinion  of  it,  as  that  would  be  important  to  them. 
After  a  certain  time  he  forwarded  to  them  a  certificate 
couched  in  such  terms  as  these : — 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  27 

"  I  do  hereby  certify  that  I  have  tried  the  coal  sent 

me  by  the  company  at ,  and  it  is  my  decided 

opinion,  that  when  the  general  conflagration  of  the 
world  shall  take  place,  any  man  who  will  take  his  po 
sition  on  that  coal  mine  will  certainly  be  the  last  man 
who  will  be  burnt." 

I  had  to  travel  by  coach  for  six  days  and  nights,  to 
arrive  at  Baltimore.  As  it  may  be  supposed,  I  was 
not  a  little  tired  before  my  journey  was  half  over ;  I, 
therefore,  was  glad  when  the  coach  stopped  for  a  few 
hours,  to  throw  off  my  coat,  and  lie  down  on  a  bed. 
At  one  town,  where  I  had  stopped,  I  had  been  reposing 
more  than  two  hours  when  my  door  was  opened — 
but  this  was  too  common  a  circumstance  for  me  to 
think  any  thing  of  it;  the  people  would  come  into  my 
room  whether  I  was  in  bed  or  out  of  bed,  dressed  or 
not  dressed,  and  if  I  expostulated,  they  would  reply, 
"  Never  mind,  we  don't  care,  Captain."  On  this  occa 
sion  I  called  out,  "  Well,  what  do  you  want]" 

"  Are  you  Captain  M 1"  said  the  person  walk 
ing  up  to  the  bed  where  I  was  lying. 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  replied  I. 

"  Well,  I  reckon  I  wouldn't  allow  you  to  go  through 
our  town  without  seeing  you  any  how.  Of  all  the 
humans,  you're  the  one  I  most  wish  to  see." 

I  told  him  I  was  highly  flattered. 

"  Well  now,"  said  he,  giving  a  jump,  and  coming 
down  right  upon  the  bed  in  his  great  coat,  "  I'll  just 
tell  you;  I  said  to  the  chap  at  the  bar, '  Aint  the  Cap 
tain  in  your  house  1'  '  Yes,'  says  he.  '  Then  where 
is  he]'  says  I.  ' Oh,'  says  he,  'he's  gone  into  his  own 
room,  and  locked  himself  up ;  he's  a  d — d  aristocrat, 
and  won't  drink  at  the  bar  with  other  gentlemen.'  So 

thought  I,  I've  read  M 's  works,  and  I'll  bo 

swamped  if  he  is  an  aristocrat,  and  by  the  'tarnal  I'll 
go  up  and  see ;  so  here  I  am,  and  you're  no  aristo 
crat." 

•'  I  should  think  not,"  replied  I,  moving  my  feet 
away,  which  he  was  half  sitting  on. 

VOL.  II.— 3 


28  DIARY  IN  AMERICA. 

"Oh,  don't  move;  never  mind  me,  Captain,  fin 
quite  comfortable.  And  how  do  you  find  yourself  by 
this  time]" 

"  Very  tired,  indeed,"  replied  I. 
"  I  suspicion  as  much.  Now,  d'ye  see,  I  left  four  or 
live  good  fellows  down  below  who  wish  to  see  you;  I 
said  I'd  go  up  first,  and  come  down  to  them.  The 
fact  is,  Captain,  we  don't  like  you  should  pass  through 
our  town  without  showing  you  a  little  American  hos 
pitality." 

So  saying  he  slid  off  the  bed,  and  went  out  of  the 
room.  In  a  minute  he  returned,  bringing  with  him 
four  or  five  others,  all  of  whom  he  introduced  by 
name,  and  reseated  himself  on  my  bed,  while  the 
others  took  chairs. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  as  I  was  telling  the 
Captain,  we  wish  to  show  him  a  little  American  hospi 
tality  ;  what  shall  it  be,  gentlemen ;  what  d'ye  say — a 
bottle  of  Madeira  ?" 

An  immediate  answer  not  being  returned  he  conti 
nued, 

"  Yes,  gentlemen,  a  bottle  of  Madeira ;  at  my  ex 
pense  gentlemen,  recollect  that ;  now  ring  the  bell." 

"I  shall  be  most  happy  to  take  a  glass  of  wine  with 
you,"  observed  I,  "but  in  my  own  room  the  wine 
must  be  at  my  expense." 

"  At  your  expense,  Captain;  well,  if  it  must  be,  I 
don't  care;  at  your  expense,  then,  Captain,  if  you  say 
so;  only  you  see,  we  must  show  you  a  little  American 
hospitality,  as  I  said  to  them  all  down  below;  didn't  I, 
gentlemen?" 

The  wine  was  ordered,  and  it  ended  in  my  hospita 
ble  friends  drinking  three  bottles;  and  then  they  all 
shook  hands  with  me,  declaring  how  happy  they  should 
be  if  I  came  to  the  town  again,  and  allowed  them  to 
*how  me  a  little  more  American  hospitality. 

There  was  something  so  very  ridiculous  in  this  event 
that  I  cannot  help  narrating  it;  but  let  it  not  be  sup 
posed,  for  a  moment,  that  I  intend  it  as  a  sarcasm  upon 


DIARY  IN  AMERICA.  29 

American  hospitality  in  general.  There  certainly  are 
conditions  usually  attached  to  their  hospitality,  if  you 
wish  to  profit  by  it  to  any  extent;  and  one  is,  that  you 
do  not  venture  to  find  fault  with  themselves,  their  man 
ners,  or  their  institutions. 

Note. — That  a  guest,  partaking  of  their  hospitality,  should 
give  his  opinion  unasked,  and  find  fault,  would  be  in  very  bad 
taste,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  But  the  fault  in  America  is,  that 
you  are  compelled  to  give  an  opinion,  and  you  cannot  escape 
by  a  doubtful  reply:  as  the  American  said  to  me  in  Philadel 
phia,  "  I  wish  a  categorical  answer."  Thus,  should  you  not 
agree  with  them,  you  are  placed  upon  the  horns  of  a  dilemma; 
either  you  must  affront  the  company,  or  sacrifice  truth. 


END  OF  DIARY. 


REMARKS,    &c.  &c. 


LANGUAGE. 

THE  Americans  boldly  assert  that  they  speak  better 
English  than  we  do,  and  I  was  rather  surprised  not  to 
find  a  statistical  table  to  that  effect  in  Mr.  Carey's 
publication.  What  I  believe  the  Americans  would 
imply  by  the  above  assertion  is,  that  you  may  travel 
through  all  the  United  States  and  find  less  difficulty  in 
understanding,  or  in  being  understood,  than  in  some 
of  the  counties  of  England,  such  as  Cornwall,  Devon 
shire,  Lancashire,  and  Suffolk.  So  far  they  are  cor 
rect;  but  it  is  remarkable  how  very  debased  the 
language  has  become  in  a  short  period  in  America. 
There  are  few  provincial  dialects  in  England  much 
less  intelligible  than  the  following.  A  Yankee  girl, 
who  wished  to  hire  herself  out,  was  asked  if  she  had 
any  followers,  or  sweethearts'?  After  a  little  hesita 
tion,  she  replied,  "Well,  now,  can't  exactly  say;  1 
bees  a  sorter  courted,  and  a  sorter  not;  reckon  more 
a  sorter  yes  than  a  sorter  no."  In  many  points  the 
Americans  have  to  a  certain  degree  obtained  that 
equality  which  they  profess;  and,  as  respects  their 
language,  it  certainly  is  the  case.  If  their  lower 
classes  are  more  intelligible  than  ours,  it  is  equally 
true  that  the  higher  classes  do  not  speak  the  language 
so  purely  or  so  classically  as  it  is  spoken  among  the 
well-educated  English.  The  peculiar  dialect  of  the 
English  counties  is  kept  up  because  we  are  a  settled 
country ;  the  people  who  are  born  in  a  county  live  in 
it,  and  die  in  it,  transmitting  their  scites  of  labour  or 
of  amusement  to  their  descendants,  generation  after 


LANGUAGE.  31 

generation,  without  change :  consequently,  the  provin 
cialisms  of  the  language  become  equally  hereditary, 
Now,  in  America,  they  have  a  dictionary  containing 
many  thousands  of  words  which,  with  us,  are  either 
obsolete,  or  are  provincialisms,  or  are  words  necessa 
rily  invented  by  the  Americans.  When  the  people  of 
England  emigrated  to  the  States,  they  came  from  eve 
ry  county  in  England,  and  each  county  brought  its 
provincialisms  with  it.  These  were  admitted  into  the 
general  stock;  and  were  since  all  collected  and  bound 
up  by  one  Mr.  Webster.  With  the  exception  of  a  few 
words  coined  for  local  uses  (such  as  snags  and  saw 
yers,  on  the  Mississippi,)  I  do  not  recollect  a  word 
which  I  have  not  traced  to  be  either  a  provincialism 
of  some  English  county,  or  else  to  be  obsolete  English. 
There  are  a  few  from  the  Dutch,  such  as  stoup,  for  the 
porch  of  a  door,  &c.  I  was  once  talking  with  an 
American  about  Webster's  dictionary,  and  he  ob 
served,  "  Well  now,  sir,  I  understand  it's  the  only  one 
used  in  the  Court  of  St.  James,  by  the  king,  queen,  and 
princesses,  and  that  by  royal  order.' 

The  upper  classes  of  the  Americans  do  not,  how 
ever,  speak  or  pronounce  English  according  to  our 
standard;  they  appear  to  have  no  exact  rule  to  guide 
them,  probably  from  a  want  of  any  intimate  know 
ledge  of  Greek  or  Latin.  You  seldom  hear  a  deriva 
tion  from  the  Greek  pronounced  correctly,  the  accent 
being  generally  laid  upon  the  wrong  syllable.  In  fact, 
every  one  appears  to  be  independent,  and  pronounces 
just  as  he  pleases. 

But  it  is  not  for  me  to  decide  the  very  momentous 
question,  as  to  which  nation  speaks  the  best  English. 
The  Americans  generally  improve  upon  the  inventions 
of  others;  probably  they  may  have  improved  upon  our 
language. 

I  recollect  some  one  observing  how  very  superior 
the  German  language  was  to  the  English,  from  their 
possessing  so  many  compound  substantives  and  adjec 
tives,  whereupon  his  friend  replied,  that  it  was  just  as 


32  LANGUAGE. 

easy  for  us  to  possess  them  in  England  if  we  pleased, 
and  gave  us  as  an  example  an  observation  made  by 
his  old  dame  at  Eton,  who  declared  that  young  Paulet 
was,  without  any  exception,  the  most  good-for-no- 
thingest,  the  most  provoking-people-est,  and  the  most 
poke-about-every-cornerest  boy  she  had  ever  had 
charge  of  in  her  life. 

Assuming  this  principle  of  improvement  to  be  cor 
rect,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  Americans  have 
added  considerably  to  our  dictionary;  but,  as  I  have 
before  observed,  this  being  a  point  of  too  much  delica 
cy  for  me  to  decide  upon,  I  shall  just  submit  to  the 
reader  the  occasional  variations,  or  improvements,  as 
they  may  be,  which  met  my  ears  during  my  residence 
in  America,  as  also  the  idiomatic  peculiarities,  and 
having  so  done,  I  must  leave  him  to  decide  for  himself. 

I  recollect  once  talking  with  one  of  the  first  men  in 
America,  who  was  narrating  to  me  the  advantages 
which  might  have  accrued  to  him  if  he  had  followed  up 
a  certain  speculation,  when  he  said,  "  Sir,  if  I  had  done 
so,  I  should  not  only  have  doubled  and  trebled,  but  I 
should  have  fourbled  and  fivebled  my  money." 

One  of  the  members  of  Congress  once  said,  "  What 
the  honourable  gentleman  has  just  asserted  I  consider 
as  catamount  to  a  denial;" — (catamount  is  the  term 
given  to  a  panther  or  lynx.) 

"I  presume,"  replied  his  opponent,  "that  the  ho 
nourable  gentleman  means  tantamount" 

"  No,  sir,  I  do  not  mean  tantamount;  I  am  not  so 
ignorant  of  our  language,  not  to  be  aware  that  cata 
mount  and  tantamount  are  rmonymous." 

The  Americans  dwell  upon  their  words  when  they 
speak — a  custom  arising,  I  presume,  from  their  cau 
tious,  calculating  habits;  and  they  have  always  more 
or  less  of  a  nasal  twang.  1  ojice  said  to  a  lady,  "  Why 
do  you  drawl  out  your  words  in  that  way!" 

"Well,"  replied  she,  "I'd  drawl  all  the  way  from 
Maine  to  Georgia,  rather  than  clip  my  words  as  you 
English  people  do." 


LANGUAGE. 


33 


Many  English  words  are  used  in  a  very  different 
sense  from  that  which  we  attach  to  them;  for  in 
stance  :  a  clever  person  in  America  means  an  amiable 
good-tempered  person,  and  the  Americans  make  the 
distinction  by  saying,  I  mean  English  clever. 

Our  clever  is  represented  by  the  word  smart. 

The  verb  to  admire  is  also  used  in  the  East,  instead 
of  the  verb  to  like. 

"•  Have  you  ever  been  at  Paris?" 

"  No;  but  I  should  admire  to  go/' 

A  Yankee  description  of  a  clever  woman: — 

"  Well,  now,  she'll  walk  right  into  you,  and  talk  to 
you  like  a  book;"  or,  as  I  have  heard  them  say,  "  she'll 
talk  you  out  of  sight." 

The  word  ugly  is  used  for  cross,  ill-tempered.  "I 
did  feel  so  ugly  when  he  said  that." 

Bad\$  used  in  an  odd  sense:  it  is  employed  for 
awkward,  uncomfortable,  sorry: — 

"  I  did  feel  so  bad  when  I  read  that  " — awkward. 

"  I  have  felt  quite  bad  about  it  ever  since  " — un 
comfortable. 

"  She  was  so  bad,  I  thought  she  would  cry,"  sorry. 

And  as  bad  is  tantamount  to  not  good,  I  have  heard 
a  lady  say,  '4 1  don't  feel  at  all  good,  this  morning." 

Mean  is  occasionally  used  for  ashamed. 

"  I  never  felt  so  mean  in  my  life." 

"We  reckon  this  very  handsome  scenery,  sir,"  said 
an  American  to  me,  pointing  to  the  landscape. 

"  I  consider  him  very  truthful,"  is  another  expres 
sion. 

"  He  stimulates  too  much." 

"  He  dissipates  awfully." 

And  they  are  very  fond  of  using  the  noun  as  a  verb, 
as — 

"  I  suspicion  that's  a  fact.3' 

"I  opinion  quite  the  contrary." 

The  word  considerable  is  in  considerable  demand 
in  the  United  States.  In  a  work  in  which  the  letters 
of  the  party  had  been  given  to  the  public  as  specimens 


34  LANGUAGE. 

of  good  style  and  polite  literature,  it  is  used  as  fol 
lows: — 

"  My  dear  sister,  I  have  taken  up  the  pen  early  this 
morning,  as  1  intend  to  write  considerable."* 

The  word  great  is  oddly  used  for  fine,  splendid. 

"  She's  the  greatest  gal  in  the  whole  Union." 

But  there  is  one  word  which  we  must  surrender  up 
to  the  Americans  as  their  very  own,  as  the  children 
say.  I  will  quote  a  passage  from  one  of  their  pa 
pers: — 

"  The  editor  of  the  Philadelphia  Gazette  is  wrong 
in  calling  absquatiated  a  Kentucky/*  A  rase  (he  may 
well  say  phrase  instead  of  word.)  It  may  prevail 
there,  but  its  origin  was  in  South  Carolina,  where  it 
was  a  few  years  since  regularly  derived  from  the  Latin, 
as  we  can  prove  from  undoubted  authority.  By  the 
way,  there  is  a  little  corruption  in  the  word  as  the  Ga 
zette  uses  it,  absquatalized  is  the  true  reading." 

Certainly  a  word  worth  quarrelling  about! 

*'  Are  you  cold,  miss?''  said  I  to  a  young  lady,  who 
pulled  the  shawl  closer  over  her  shoulders. 

"  Some"  was  the  reply. 

The  English  what?  implying  that  you  did  not  hear 
what  was  said  to  you,  is  changed  in  America  to  the 
word  how? 

"I  reckon,55  "  I  calculate,"  "  I  guess,"  are  all  used 
as  the  common  English  phrase,  "  I  suppose."  Each 
term  is  said  to  be  peculiar  to  different  states,  but  I 
found  them  used  every  where,  one  as  often  as  the  other. 
7  opine,  is  not  so  common. 

A  specimen  of  Yankee  dialect  and  conversation: — 

"  Well  now,  I'll  tell  you — you  know  Marble  Head?'" 

"  Guess  I  do." 

"  Well,  then,  you  know  Sally  Hackett." 

"  No,  indeed." 

"Not  know  Sally  Hackett?  Whv  she  lives  at 
Marble  Head." 

*  Life  and  Remains  of  Charles  Pond. 


LANGUAGE.  35 

'•  Guess  I  don't." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that?" 

"  Yes,  indeed." 

"  And  you  really  don't  know  Sally  Hackett?" 

"  No,  indeed."  " 

"  I  guess  you've  heard  talk  of  her?" 

"No,  indeed." 

"Well,  that's  considerable  odd.  Now,  I'll  tell 
you — Ephrim  Bagg,  he  that  has  the  farm  three  miles 
from  Marble  Head— just  as — but  now,  are  you  sure 
you  don't  know  Sally  Hackett?" 

"  No,  indeed." 

"  Well,  he's  a  pretty  substantial  man,  and  no  mis 
take.  He  has  got  a  heart  as  big  as  an  ox,  and  every 
thing  else  in  proportion,  I've  a  notion.  He  loves  Sal. 
the  worst  kind;  and  if  she  gets  up  there,  she'll  think 
she  has  got  to  Palestine  (Paradise;)  arn't  she  a  scream- 
err  I  were  thinking  of  Sal  mysel,  for  I  feel  lone 
some,  and  when  I  am  thrown  into  my  store  promiscu 
ous  alone,  I  can  tell  you  I  have  the  blues,  the  worst 
kind,  no  mistake — I  can  tell  you  that.  I  always  feel 
a  kind  o'  queer  when  I  sees  Sal,  but  when  I  meet  any 
of  the  other  gals  I  am  as  calm  and  cool  as  the  milky 
way,"  &c.  &c. 

The  verb  "  to  fix  "  is  universal.  It  means  to  do 
any  thins;. 

"  Shall  1  fix  your  coat  or  your  breakfast  first?" 
That  is — "  Shall  I  brush  your  coat,  or  get  ready  your 
breakfast  first?" 

Right  away,  for  immediately  or  at  once,  is  very 
general. 

"  Shall  I  fix  it  right  away— i.  e.  "  Shall  I  do  it  im 
mediately?" 

In  the  West,  when  you  stop  at  an  inn,  they  say — 

"What  will  you  have?  Brown  meal  and  common 
doings,  or  white  wheat  and  chicken  fixings,-" — that 
is,  "  Will  you  have  pork  and  brown  bread,  or  white 
bread  and  fried  chicken?" 

Also,  "  Will  you  have  afeed  or  a  check?" — A  din 
ner,  or  a  luncheon? 


06  LANGUAGE. 

In  full  blast — something  in  the  extreme. 

"  When  she  came  to  meeting,  with  her  yellow  hat 
and  feathers,  was'n't  she  in  full  blast?" 

But  for  more  specimens  of  genuine  Yankee,  I  must 
refer  the  reader  to  Sam  Slick  and  Major  Downing,  and 
shall  now  proceed  to  some  farther  peculiarities. 

There  are  two  syllables— urn,  hu — which  are  very 
generally  used  by  the  Americans  as  a  sort  of  reply,  in 
timating  that  they  are  attentive,  and  that  the  party  may 
proceed  with  his  narrative;  but,  by  inflection  and  into 
nation,  these  two  syllables  are  made  to  express  dissent 
or  assent,  surprise,  disdain,  and  (like  Lord  Burleigh's 
nod  in  the  play)  a  great  deal  more.  The  reason  why 
these  two  syllables  have  been  selected  is,  that  they  can 
be  pronounced  without  the  trouble  of  opening  your 
mouth,  and  you  may  be  in  a  state  of  listlessness  and 
repose  whilst  others  talk.  I  myself  found  them  very 
convenient  at  times,  and  gradually  got  into  the  habit  of 
using  them. 

The  Americans  are  very  local  in  their  phrases,  and 
borrow  their  similes  very  much  from  the  nature  of  their 
occupations  and  pursuits.  If  you  ask  a  Virginian  or 
Kentuckian  where  he  was  born,  he  will  invariably  tell 
you  that  he  was  raised  in  such  a  county — the  term  ap 
plied  to  horses,  and,  in  breeding  States,  to  men  also. 

When  a  man  is  tipsy  (spirits  being  made  from  grain,) 
they  generally  say  he  is  corned. 

In  the  West,  where  steam-navigation  is  so  abundant, 
Avhen  they  ask  you  to  drink  they  say,  "  Stranger,  will 
you  take  in  wood?"— -the  vessels  taking  in  wood  as 
fuel  to  keep  the  steam  up,  and  the  person  taking  in  spi 
rits  to  keep  his  steam  up. 

The  roads  in  the  country  being  cut  through  woods, 
and  the  stumps  of  the  trees  left  standing,  the  carriage? 
are  often  brought  up  by  them.  Hence  the  expression 
of,  "Well,  I  am  stumped  this  time." 

I  heard  a  young  man,  a  farmer  in  Vermont,  say, 
when  talking  about  another  having  gained  the  heart  oi 
a  pretty  girl,  "Well,  how  he  contrived  to  fork  into  her 


LANGUAGE.  bi 

young  affections,  I  can't  tell;  but  I've  a  mind  to  put 
my  whole  team  on,  and  see  if  I  can't  run  him  off  the 
road." 

The  old  phrase  of  "  straining  at  a  gnat,  and  swal 
lowing  a  camel,"  in  the  Eastern  States,  rendered 
"  straining  at  a  gate,  and  swallowing  a  saw-mill" 

To  strike  means  to  attack.  "  The  Indians  have 
struck  on  the  frontier;" — "A  rattle-snake  struck  at 
me." 

To  make  tracks— to  walk  away.  "  Well,  now,  I 
shall  make  tracks:" — from  foot-tracks  in  the  snow. 

Clear  out,  quit,  and  put — all  mean  "  be  off."  "  Cap 
tain,  now,  you  hush  or  put" — that  is,  "Either  hold 
your  tongue,  or  be  off."  Also,  "  Will  you  shut,  mis 
ter?" — i.  e.  will  you  shut  your  mouth?  i.  e.  hold  your 
tongue? 

"  Curl  up  " — to  be  angry — from  the  panther  and 
other  animals  when  angry  raising  their  hair.  *  "  Rise 
my  dander  up,"  from  the  human  hair;  and  a  nasty  idea. 
"Wrathy"  is  another  common  expression.  Also, 
'•  Savage  as  a  meat-axe." 

Here  are  two  real  American  words; — 

"  Sloping" — for  slinking  away; 

"  Splunging,"  like  a  porpoise. 

The  word  "  enthusiasm,"  in  the  south,  is  changed  to 
"  entuzzy-muzzy." 

In  the  Western  States,  where  the  raccoon  is  plentiful, 
they  use  the  abbreviation  'coon  when  speaking  of  peo 
ple.  When  at  New  York,  I  went  into  a  hair-dresser's 
shop  to  have  my  hair  cut;  there  were  two  young  men 
from  the  west — one  under  the  barber's  hands,  the  other 
standing  by  him. 

"•  I  say,"  said  the  one  who  was  having  his  hair  cut, 
"  I  hear  Captain  M is  in  this  country." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  other,  "  so  they  say;  I  should 
like  to  see  the  'coon." 

"  I'm  a  gone  'coon"  implies  "  I  am  distressed — or 
ruined — or  lost."  I  once  asked  the  origin  of  this  ex 
pression,  and  was  very  gravely  told  as  follows: — 


38  LANGUAGE. 

"  There  is  a  Captain  Martin  Scott*  in  the  United 
States  army  who  is  a  remarkable  shot  with  a  rifle. 
He  was  raised,  I  believe,  in  Vermont.  His  fame  was 
so  considerable  through  the  State,  that  even  the  ani 
mals  were  aware  of  it.  He  went  out  one  morning 
with  his  rifle,  and  spying  a  raccoon  upon  the  upper 
branches  of  a  high  tree,  brought  his  gun  up  to  his 
shoulder;  when  the  raccoon,  perceiving  it,  raised  his 
paw  up  for  a  parley.  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  mister," 
said  the  raccoon,  very  politely;  "  but  may  I  ask  you  if 
your  name  is  Scott  ?" — "  Yes,"  replied  the  captain. — 
'*  Martin  Scott  ?"  continued  the  raccoon. — "  Yes,"  re 
plied  the  captain. — "  Captain  Martin  Scott  ?"  still  con 
tinued  the  animal. — "  Yes,"  replied  the  captain,  "  Cap 
tain  Martin  Scott?"—"  Oh !  then,"  says  the  animal,  "  I 
may  just  as  well  come  down,  for  I'm  a  gone  'coon."  •' 

But  one  of  the  strangest  perversions  of  the  meaning 
of  a  word  which  I  ever  heard  of  is  in  Kentucky,  where 
sometimes  the  word  nasty  is  used  for  nice.  For  in 
stance;  at  a  rustic  dance  in  that  State,  a  Kentuckian 
said  to  an  acquaintance  of  mine,  in  reply  to  his  asking 
the  name  of  a  very  fine  girl,  "  That's  my  sister,  stran 
ger;  and  I  flatter  myself  that  she  shews  the  nastiest. 
ankle  in  all  Kentuck." — Unde  derivatur,  from  the  con 
stant  rifle-practice  in  that  State,  a  good  shot,  or  a  pret 
ty  shot,  is  termed  also  a  nasty  shot,  because  it  would 
make  a  nasty  wound :  ergo,  a  nice  or  pretty  ankle  be 
comes  a  nasty  one. 

The  term  for  all  baggage,  especially  in  the  south  or 
west,  is  "  plunder."  This  has  been  derived  from  the 
buccaneers,  who  for  so  long  a  time  infested  the  bay- 
ores  and  creeks  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  whose  luggage  was  probably  very  correctly  so  de 
signated. 

I  must  not  omit  a  specimen  of  American  criticism. 

"  Well,  Abel,  whot  d'ye  think  of  our  native  genus. 
Mister  Forrest?" 

*  Already  mentioned  in  the  Diary. 


LANGUAGE.  39 

"  Well,  I  don't  go  much  to  theatricals,  that's  a  fact; 
but  I  do  think  lie  piled  the  agony  up  a  little  too  high  in 
that  last  scene." 

The  gamblers  on  the  Mississippi  use  a  very  refined 
phrase  for  "cheating" — "playing the  advantages  over 
him." 

But,  as  may  be  supposed,  the  principal  terms  used 
are  those  which  are  borrowed  from  trade  and  com 
merce. 

The  rest,  or  remainder,  is  usually  termed  the  ba 
lance. 

"  Put  some  of  those  apples  into  a  dish,  and  the  ba 
lance  into  the  store-room." 

When  a  person  has  made  a  mistake,  or  is  out  in  his 
calculation*  they  say,  "  You  missed  a  figure  that 
time." 

In  a  skirmish  last  war,  the  fire  from  the  British  was 
very  severe,  and  the  men  in  the  American  ranks  were 
fajling  fast,  when  one  of  the  soldiers  stepped  up  to  the 
commanding  officer  and  said,  "Colonel,  don't  you 
think  that  we  might  compromise  this  affair?"  "  Well, 
I  reckon  I  should  have  no  objection  to  submit  it  to  ar 
bitration  myself,"  replied  the  colonel. 

Even  the  thieves  must  be  commercial  in  their'ideas. 
One  rogue  meeting  another,  asked  him  what  he  had 
done  that  morning;  "  Not  much,"  was  the  reply,  "I've 
only  realized  this  umbrella." 

This  reminds  me  of  a  conversation  between  a  man 
and  his  wife,  which  was  overheard  by  the  party  who 
repeated  it  to  me.  It  appears  that  the  lady  was  eco 
nomically  inclined,  and  in  cutting  out  some  shirts  for 
her  husband,  resolved  that  they  should  not  descend 
much  lower  than  his  hips,  as  thereby  so  much  linen 
would  be  saved.  The  husband  expostulated,  but  in 
vain.  She  pointed  out  to  him  that  it  would  improve 
his  figure,  and  make  his  nether  garments  set  much 
better;  in  a  word,  that  long  shirt-tails  were  quite  un 
necessary;  and  she  wound  up  her  arguments  by  ob 
serving  that  linen  was  a  very  expensive  article,  and 
that  she  could  not  see  what  on  earth  was  the  reason 

VOL.  n. — 4 


40  LANGUAGE. 

that  people  should  stuff  so  much  capital  into  their  pan 
taloons. 

There  is  sometimes  in  the  American  metaphors  an 
energy  which  is  very  remarkable. 

"  Well,  I  reckon,  that  from  his  teeth  to  his  toe  nail, 
there's  not  a  human  of  a  more  conquering  nature  than 
General  Jackson." 

One  gentleman  said  to  me,  "  I  wish  I  had  all  hell 
boiled  down  to  a  point,  just  to  pour  down  your 
throat." 

It  is  a  great  pity  that  the  Americans  have  not  ad 
hered  more  to  the  Indian  names,  which  are  euphonous, 
and  very  often  musical ;  but,  so  far  from  it,  they  appear 
to  have  had  a  pleasure  in  dismissing  them  altogether. 
There  is  a  river  running  into  Lake  Champlain,  near 
Burlington,  formerly  called  by  the  Indians  the  Winoo- 
ski,  but  this  name  has  been  superseded  by  the  settlers, 
who,  by  way  of  improvement,  have  designated  it  the 
Onion  River.  The  Americans  have  ransacked  scrip 
ture,  and  ancient  and  modern  history,  to  supply  them 
selves  with  names,  yet,  notwithstanding,  there  appears 
to  be  a  strange  lack  of  taste  in  their  selection.  On  the 
route  to  Lake  Ontario  you  pass  towns  with  such  names 
as  Manlius,  Sempronius,  Titus,  Cato,  and  then  you 
come  to  Butternuts.  Looking  over  the  catalogue  of 
cities,  towns,  villages,  rivers,  and  creeks  in  the  differ 
ent  States  in  the  Union,  I  find  the  following  repeti 
tions  : 

Of  towns,  &c.  named  after  distinguished  individuals 
there  are,— 


Washingtons    . 
Jacksons     .     . 

.     .     43 

.     .     41 

Carrolls 
Adamses 

....     16 
....     18 

Jeffersons    •.     . 

.     .     32 

Bolivars 

....       8 

Franklins    .     . 

.     .     41 

Clintons 

....     19 

Madisons 
Monroes 

.     .     26 
.     .     25 

Waynes 

....      14 
....       6 

Perry  s    . 

.     .     22 

Clays 

.     ...       4 

Fayettes 

.     .     14 

Fultons 

....     17 

Hamiltons 

.     .     13 

LANGUAGE. 


41 


Of  other  towns,  &c.  there  are, — 


Columbias  .  .  . 
Centre  Villes  .  . 
Fairfields  .  .  . 
Athenses  .  .  . 

.     27 
.     14 
.     17 
.     10 
4 

Libertys 
Salems    . 

.     .     .      14 
.     .     .     24 

.     .     .     28 

Muds      .     . 

8 

Little  Muds 
Muddies 

.     .     .       1 

...      11 
39 

Crookeds  .  .  . 
Littles  .... 

.     22 

.     20 

Lonsrs 

18 

Clears 13 

Blacks    .  33 


In  colours  they  have, — 

Greens 16 

Whites  .  15 


Blues      . 

Vermilions 


Yellows 


iv 


Named  after  trees, — 


Cedars    .....     25 
Cypresses   .     .     .     .     12 


Laurels 14 

Pines  18 


After  animals, — 


Beavers 23 

Buffaloes  $ 

Bulls 


Deers 13 

Dogs 9 

Elks  .  11 


Foxes 12 

Otters          ....     13 


Raccoons 


11 


Wolves 16 

Bears 12 

Bear's  Rump    .     .     .       J 


After  birds,  &c. 


Gooses 10 


Ducks 
Eagles 
Pigeons 


8 

8 
10 


Fishes 7 

Turkeys      .     .     .     .  12 

Swans 15 

Pikes  20 


42  LANGUAGE, 

The  consequence  of  these  repetitions  is,  that  if  you 
do  not  put  the  name  of  the  State,  and  often  of  the  coun 
ty  in  the  State  in  which  the  town  you  refer  to  may  be, 
your  letter  may  journey  all  over  the  Union,  and  perhaps, 
after  all,  never  arrive  at  its  place  of  destination. 

The  States  have  already  accommodated  each  other 
with  nicknames,  as  per  example: — 

Illinois  people  are  termed  .     .     .     Suckers. 

Missouri Pukes. 

Michigan Wolverines. 

Indiana Hoosiers. 

Kentucky Corn  Crackers, 

Ohio Buckeyes,  &c. 

The  names  of  persons  are  also  very  strange ;  and 
some  of  these  are,  at  all  events,  obsolete  in  England, 
even  if  they  ever  existed  there.  Many  of  them  are 
said  to  be  French  or  Dutch  names  Americanized.  But 
they  appear  still  more  odd  to  us  from  the  high-sounding 
Christian  names  prefixed  to  them;  as,  for  instance: 
Philo  Doolittle,  Populorum  Hightower,  Preserved 
Fish,  Asa  Peabody,  Alonzo  Lilly,  Alceus  Wolf,  &c.  I 
was  told  by  a  gentleman  that  Doolittle  was  originally 
from  the  French  De  1' Hotel;  Peabody  from  Pibaudiere; 
Bunker  from  Bon  Co3ur;  that  Mr.  Ezekiel  Bumpus  is 
a  descendant  of  Mons.  Bon  Pas,  &c.,  all  which  is  very 
possible. 

Every  one  who  is  acquainted  with  Washington  Ir 
ving  must  know  that,  being  very  sensitive  himself,  he 
is  one  of  the  last  men  in  the  world  to  do  any  thing  to 
annoy  another.  In  his  selection  of  names  for  his  wri 
tings,  he  was  cautious  in  avoiding  such  as  might  be 
known;  so  that  when  he  called  his  old  schoolmaster 
Ichabod  Crane,  he  thought  himself  safe  from  the  risk 
of  giving  offence.  Shortly  afterwards  a  friend  of  his 
called  upon  him,  accompanied  by  a  stranger,  whom  he 
introduced  as  Major  Crane;  Irving  started  at  the  name ; 
"Major  Ichabod  Crane,"  continued  his  friend,  much  to 
the  horror  of  Washington  Irving. 

I  was  told  that  a  merchant  went  down  to  New  O:- 
leans  with  one  Christian  name,  and  came  back,  after  a 


LANGUAGE.  43 

lapse  of  years  with  another.  His  name  was  John  Flint. 
The  French  at  New  Orleans  translated  his  surname,  and 
called  him  Pierre  Fusee:  on  his  return  the  Pierre  stuck 
to  him,  was  rendered  into  English  as  Peter,  and  he  was 
called  Peter  Flint  ever  afterwards. 

People  may  change  their  names  in  the  United  States 
by  application  to  Congress.  They  have  a  story  hardly 
worth  relating,  although  considered  a  good  one  in  Ame 
rica,  having  been  told  me  by  a  member  of  Congress. 
A  Mr.  Whitepimple,  having  risen  in  the  world,  was 
persuaded  by  his  wife  to  change  his  name,  arid  applied 
for  permission  accordingly.  The  clerk  of  the  office  in 
quired  of  him  what  other  name  he  would  have,  and  he 
being  very  indifferent  about  it  himself,  replied  careless 
ly,  as  he  walked  away,  "  Oh,  any  thing;"  whereupon 
the  clerk  enrolled  him  as  Mr.  Thing  Time  passed  on, 
and  he  had  a  numerous  family,  who  found  the  new 
name  not  much  more  agreeable  than  the  old  one,  for 
there  was  Miss  Sally  Thing,  Miss  Dolly  Thing,  the  old 
Things,  and  all  the  little  Things;  and  worst  of  all,  the 
eldest  son  being  christened  Robert,  went  by  the  name 
of  Thingum  Bob. 

There  were,  and  [  believe  still  are,  two  lawyers  in 
partnership  in  New  York,  with  the  peculiar  happy 
names  of  Catchem  and  Chetum.  People  laughed  at 
seeing  these  two  names  in  juxtaposition  over  the  door; 
so  the  lawyers  thought  it  advisable  to  separate  them  by 
(he  insertion  of  their  Christian  names.  Mr.  Catchem's 
Christian  name  was  Isaac,  Mr.  Chetum's,  Uriah.  A 
new  board  was  ordered,  but  when  sent  to  the  painter, 
it  was  found  to  be  too  short  to  admit  the  Christian 
names  at  full  length.  The  painter,  therefore,  put  in 
only  the  initials  before  the  surnames,  which  made  the 
matter  still  worse  than  before,  for  there  now  appeared — 

"  I.  Catchem  and  U.  Chetum." 

I  cannot  conclude  this  chapter  without  adverting  to 

one  or  two  points  peculiar  to  the  Americans.     They 

wish,  in  every  thing,  to  improve  upon  the  Old  Country, 

as  they  call  us,  and  affect  to  be  excessively  refined  in 

4* 


44  LANGUAGE. 

their  language  and  ideas :  but  they  forget  that  very  of 
ten  in  the  covering,  and  the  covering  only,  consists  the 
indecency,  and  that,  to  use  the  okl  aphorism, — "  Very 
nice  people,  are  people  with  very  nasty  ideas." 

They  object  to  every  thing  nude  in  statuary.  When 
I  was  at  the  house  of  Governor  Everett  at  Boston,  I 
observed  a  fine  cast  of  the  Apollo  Belvidere,  but,  in 
compliance  with  general  opinion,  it  was  hung  with  dra 
pery,  although  Governor  Everett  himself  is  a  gentleman 
of  refined  mind  and  high  classical  attainments,  and  quite 
above  such  ridiculous  sensitiveness.  In  language  it  is 
the  same  thing:  there  are  certain  words  which  are  ne 
ver  used  in  America,  but  an  absurd  substitute  is  em 
ployed.  I  cannot  particularize  them  after  this  preface, 
lest  I  should  be  accused  of  indelicacy  myself.  I  may, 
however,  state  one  little  circumstance,  which  will  prove 
the  correctness  of  what  I  say. 

When  at  Niagara  Falls,  I  was  escorting  a  young  lady 
with  whom  I  was  on  friendly  terms.  She  had  been 
standing  on  a  piece  of  rock,  the  better  to  view  the 
scene,  when  she  slipped  down,  and  was  evidently 
hurt  by  the  fall ;  she  had  in  fact  grazed  her  shin.  As 
she  limped  a  little  in  walking  home,  I  said,  "  Did  you 
hurt  your  leg  much."  She  turned  from  ine  evidently 
much  shocked,  or  much  offended ;  and  not  being  aware 
that  I  had  committed  any  very  heinous  offence,  I  begged 
to  know  what  was  the  reason  of  her  displeasure.  After 
some  hesitation,  she  said  that  as  she  knew  me  well,  she 
would  tell  me  that  the  word  leg  was  never  mentioned 
before  ladies.  I  apologized  for  my  want  of  refinement, 
which  was  attributable  to  my  having  been  accustomed 
only  to  English  society,  and  added,  that  as  such  arti 
cles  must  occasionally  be  referred  to,  even  in  the  most 
polite  circles  of  America,  perhaps  she  would  inform  me 
by  what  name  I  might  mention  them  without  shocking 
the  company.  Her  reply  was,  that  the  word  limb  was 
used;  "nay,"  continued  she,  "I  am  not  so  particular 
as  some  people  are,  for  I  know  those  who  always  say 
limb  of  a  table,  or  limb  of  a  piano-forte." 

There  the  conversation  dropped ;  but  a  few  months 


CREDIT.  45 

afterwards  I  was  obliged  to  acknowledge  that  the 
young  lady  was  correct  when  she  asserted  that  some 
people  were  more  particular  than  even  she  was. 

I  was  requested  by  a  lady  to  escort  her  to  a  semi 
nary  for  young  ladies,  and  on  being  ushered  into  the 
reception-room,  conceive  my  astonishment  at  behold 
ing  a  square  piano-forte  with  four  limbs.  However, 
that  the  ladies  who  visited  their  daughters,  might  feel 
in  its  full  force  the  extreme  delicacy*  of  the  mistress 
of  the  establishment,  and  her  care  to  preserve  in  their 
utmost  purity  the  ideas  of  the  young  ladies  under  her 
charge,  she  had  dressed  all  these  four  limbs  in  modest 
little  trousers,  \vith  frills  at  the  bottom  of  them ! 


CREDIT. 

IN  the  State  of  New  York  they  have  abolished  im 
prisonment  for  debt ;  this  abolition,  however,  only 
holds  good  between  the  citizens  of  that  State,  as  no 
one  State  in  the  Union  can  interfere  with  the  rights  of 
another.  A  stranger,  therefore,  can  imprison  a  New 
Yorker,  and  a  New  Yorker  can  imprison  a  stranger, 
but  the  citizens  of  New  York  cannot  incarcerate  one 
another.  Now,  although  the  unprincipled  may,  and 
do  occasionally,  take  advantage  of  this  enactment,  yet 

*  "An  English  lady,  who  had  long1  kept  a  fashionable  board 
ing  school  in  one  of  the  Atlantic  cities,  told  me  that  one  of  her 
earliest  cares  with  every  new  comer,  was  to  endeavour  to  sub 
stitute  real  delicacy  for  that  affected  precision  of  manner: 
among  many  anecdotes,  she  told  me  of  a  young  lady  about 
fourteen,  who,  on  entering  the  receiving-room,  where  she  only 
expected  to  see  a  lady  who  had  inquired  for  her,  and  finding  a 
young  man  with  her,  put  her  hands  before  her  eyes  and  ran 
out  of  the  room  again,  screaming — 'A  man,  a  man,  a  man!' 
On  another  occasion,  one  of  the  young  ladies  in  going  up  stairs 
to  the  drawing-room,  unfortunately  met  a  boy  of  fourteen 
coming  down,  and  her  feelings  were  so  violently  agitated,  that 
she  stopped,  panting  and  sobbing,  nor  would  pass  on  till  the 
boy  had  swung  himself  up  on  the  upper  bannisters,  to  leave  the 
passage  free." — Mrs.  Trollope's  Domestic  Manners  of  the  Ame- 


46  CREDIT. 

the  effects  of  it  are  generally  pood,  as  character  be 
comes  more  valuable.  Without  character,  there  will 
be  no  credit;  and  without  credit,  no  commercial  man 
can  rise  in  this  city.  I  was  once  in  a  store  where  the 
widow  who  kept  it  complained  to  me,  that  a  person 
who  owed  her  a  considerable  sum  would  not  pay  her; 
and,  aware  that  she  had  no  redress,  1  asked  her  how 
she  would  obtain  her  money.  Her  reply  was  : — "  Oh, 
I  shall  eventually  get  my  money,  for  I  will  shame  him 
out  of  it  by  exposure." 

The  Americans,  probably  from  being  such  great 
speculators,  and  aware  of  the  uncertainty  attending 
their  commerce,  are  very  lenient  towards  debtors.  If 
;i  man  proves  that  he  cannot  pay,  he  is  seldom  inter 
fered  with,  but  allowed  to  recommence  business.  This 
is  not  only  Christian-like,  but  wise.  A.  man  thrown 
into  prison  is  not  likely  to  find  the  means  of  paying  his 
debts;  but  if  allowed  his  liberty  and  the  means  of  earn 
ing  a  subsistence,  he  may  eventually  be  more  fortunate, 
and  the  creditors  have  a  chance  of  being  ultimately  paid. 
This,  to  my  knowledge,  has  often  been  the  case  after 
the  release  had  been  signed,  and  the  creditors  had  no 
farther  legal  claim  upon  the  bankrupt.  England  has 
not  yet  made  up  her  mind  to  the  abolition  of  imprison 
ment  for  debt,  but  from  what  I  have  learnt  in  this  city, 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  it  would  work  well 
for  the  morals  of  the  community,  and  that  more  debts 
would  eventually  be  paid,  than  are  paid  under  the  pre 
sent  system.  Another  circumstance  which  requires  to 
be  pointed  out  when  we  would  examine  into  the  char 
acter  of  the  New  York  commercial  community,  is,  the 
difference  between  their  bankrupt-laws  and  those  of 
England.  Here  there  is  no  law  to  compel  a  bankrupt 
to  produce  his  books;  every  man  may  be  his  own  as 
signee,  and  has  the  power  of  giving  preference  to  one 
creditor  over  another;  that  is  to  say,  he  may  repay  those 
who  have  lent  him  money  in  the  hope  of  preventing 
his  becoming  a  bankrupt,  and  all  other  debts  of  a  like 
description.  He  mny  also  turn  over  his  affairs  to  an 
assignee  of  his  own  selection,  who  then  pays  the  debts 


CREDIT.  47 

as  he  pleases.     A  bankrupt  is  also  permitted  to  collect 
his  own  debts. 

The  English  bankrupt-laws  were  introduced,  but  af 
ter  one  year's  trial  they  were  discontinued,  as  it  was 
found  that  they  were  attended  with  so  much  difficulty, 
and,  what  is  oi'  more  importance  to  the  Americans,  with 
so  much  loss  of  time.  Again,  in  America,  if  a  person 
wishes  to  become  a  special  partner  (a  sleeping  partner) 
in  any  concern,  he  may  do  so  to  any  extent  he  pleases, 
upon  advertising  the  same,  and  is  responsible  for  no 
more  than  the  sum  he  invests,  although  the  house 
should  fail  for  ten  times  the  amount. 

Here  is  an  advertisement  of  special  partnership. 

"Co-partnership.  Notice  is  hereby  given,  that  a 
limited  partnership  hath  been  entered  into  by  Lambert 
Morange,  D.  N.  Morange,  and  Samah  Solomon,  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  merchants,  in  pursuance  of  the  pro 
visions  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  The  general  nature  of  the  business  of  said  co 
partnership  is  the  manufacturing  and  selling  of  fur  and 
silk  hats.  The  said  Lambert  Morange  is  the  special 
partner,  and  as  such,  hath  contributed  the  sum  of  ten 
thousand  dollars  in  cash  to  the  common  stock:  the  said 
D.  N.  Morange  and  Samah  Solomon  are  the  general 
partners;  and  the  said  business  is  to  be  conducted  un 
der  the  name  and  firm,  of  D.  N.  Morange  and  Solomon; 
said  co-partnership  is  to  commence  on  the  14th  day 
of  March,  1837,  and  to  expire  on  the  14th  March. 
1840. 

L.  MORANGE. 

"March  14th,  .D.  N.  MORANGE. 

1837.  SAMAH  SOLOMON." 

That  this  loose  statement  of  the  bankrupt-law  may 
be,  and  has  been  the  cause  of  much  dishonesty,  is  true, 
but  at  the  same  time  it  is  the  cause  of  the  flourishing 
state  of  the  community.  The  bee  can  always  work; 
indeed  the  bankrupt-laws  themselves  provide  for  a 
man's  not  starving.  In  the  city  the  bankrupt's  house 
hold  furniture  is  sacred,  that  his  family  may  not  b« 


48  CREDIT. 

beggars;  and  in  case  of  the  bankruptcy  of  a  farmer, 
he  is  permitted  not  only  to  retain  the  furniture  of  his 
cottage,  but  even  his  plough,  with  a  proportion  of  his 
team,  his  kine  and  sheep,  are  reserved  for  him,  that  he 
may  still  be  able  to  support  his  family.  Surely  this  is 
much  preferable  to  the  English  system,  under  which 
the  furniture  is  dragged  away,  the  hearth  made  deso 
late,  and  the  children  left  to  starve  because  their  father 
has  been  unfortunate.  Is  it  not  better  that  a  little  vil- 
lany  should  escape  punishment,  than  that  such  cruelty 
should  be  in  daily  practice?  I  say  a  little  villany,  for 
if  a  man  becomes  bankrupt  in  New  York,  it  is  pretty 
well  known  whether  he  has  dealt  fairly  with  his  credi 
tors,  or  has  made  a  fraudulent  bankruptcy:  and  if  so, 
his  character  is  gone,  and  with  it  his  credit,  and  with 
out  credit  he  never  can  rise  again  in  that  city,  but  must 
remove  to  some  other  place. 

In  England,  character  will  procure  to  a  bankrupt  a 
certificate,  but  in  New  York  it  will  leave  him  the  means 
of  re-commencing  business.  In  England,  it  is  a  dis 
grace  to  be  a  bankrupt;  in  America,  it  is  only  a  mis 
fortune;  but  this  distinction  arises  from  the  boldness 
of  the  speculations  carried  on  by  the  Americans  in 
their  commercial  transactioyis,  and  owing  to  which  the 
highest  and  most  influential,  as  well  as  the  smaller  ca 
pitalists,  are  constantly  in  a  state  of  jeopardy.  I  do 
not  believe  that  there  is  any  where  a  class  of  merchants 
more  honourable  than  those  of  New  York.  The  no 
torious  Colonel  Chartres  said  that  he  would  give 
£20,000  for  a  character,  because  he  would  have  made 
£100,000  by  it.  I  shall  not  here  enter  into  the  ques* 
tion,  whether  it  is  by  a  similar  conviction,  or  by  moral 
rectitude  of  feeling,  that  the  merchants  of  New  York 
are  actuated;  it  is  sufficient  that  it  is  their  interest  to 
be  honest,  and  that  they  are  so.  I  state  the  case  in 
this  way,  because  I  do  not  intend  to  admit  that  the 
honesty  of  the  merchants  is  any  proof  of  the  morality 
of  a  nation;  and  I  think  I  am  borne  out  in  my  opinion 
by  their  conduct  in  the  late  state  of  difficulty,  and  the 
strenuous  exertions  made  by  them  to  pay  to  the  utter- 


CREDIT.  49 

most  farthing,  sacrificing  at  times  twenty  per  cent,  in 
order  to  be  enabled  to  remit  money  to  their  London 
and  Liverpool  correspondents,  and  fulh'l  their  engage 
ments  with  them. 

That  there  is  a  great  deal  of  roguery  going  on  in 
this  city  is  undeniable,  much  more,  perhaps,  than 
(taking  into  consideration  the  difference  between  the 
populations)  in  the  good  city  of  London.  But  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  New  York  has  become,  as  it 
were,  the  Alsatia  of  the  whole  continent  of  Europe. 
Every  scoundrel  who  has  swindled,  forged,  or  robbed 
in  England,  or  elsewhere,  makes  his  escape  to  New 
York.  Every  pickpocket,  who  is  too  well  known  to 
the  English  police,  takes  refuge  here.  In  this  city 
they  all  concentrate;  and  it  is  a  hard  thing  for  the 
New  York  merchants,  that  the  stream  of  society  which 
otherwise  might  gradually  become  more  pure,  should 
be  thus  poisoned  by  the  continual  inpourings  of  the 
Continental  dregs,  and  that  they  should  be  made  to 
share  in  the  obloquy  of  those  who  are  outcasts  from 
the  society  of  the  Old  World. 

America  exists  at  present  upon  credit.  If  the  credit 
of  her  merchants  were  destroyed  she  would  be  checked 
in  her  rapid  advance.  But  this  system  of  credit,  which 
is  necessarily  reciprocal,  is  nevertheless  acted  upon 
with  all  possible  caution.  Many  are  the  plans  which 
the  large  New  York  importers  have  been  compelled  to 
resort  to,  to  ascertain  whether  their  customers  from  the 
interior  could  be  trusted  or  not.  Agents  have  been 
despatched  to  learn  the  characters,  standing,  and  means 
of  the  country  dealers  who  are  their  correspondents, 
and  who  purchase  their  goods;  for  the  whole  of  the 
transactions  are  upon  credit,  and  a  book  of  reference 
as  to  people's  responsibility  is  to  be  found  in  many  of 
the  mercantile  houses  of  New  York. 

Willing  as  I  am  to  do  justice  to  the  New  York  mer 
chants,  I  cannot,  however,  permit  Mr.  Carey's  remarks 
upon  credit  to  pass  unnoticed.  Had  he  said  nothing,  [ 
s  hould  have  said  no  more ;  but,  as  he  asserts  that  the 
s  ecurity  of  property  and  credit  in  America  is  greater 


50  CREDIT. 

than  in  England,  I  must,  in  defence  of  my  country, 
make  a  few  observations. 

At  the  commencement  of  his  article  Mr.  Carey 
says,— 

"  In  England  confidence  is  almost  universal.  The 
banker  credits  the  manufacturer  and  the  farmer.  They 
are  willing  to  give  credit  to  the  merchant,  because 
they  have  confidence  that  he  will  pay  them.  He  gives 
credit  to  the  shop-keeper,  who,  in  his  turn,  gives  credit 
to  the  labourer. 

'"Immense  masses  of  property  change  owners  with 
out  examination;  confidence  thus  producing  a  great 
saving  of  labour.  Orders  to  a  vast  extent  are  given, 
with  a  certainty  that  they  will  be  executed  with  per 
fect  good  faith  ;  and  this  system  is  continued  year  after 
year,  proving  that  the  confidence  was  deserved." 

Now,  after  this  admission  what  more  can  be  re 
quired)  Confidence  proves  security  of  property,  and 
should  any  change  take  place  so  as  to  render  the  se 
curity  doubtful,  confidence  would  immediately  cease. 
It  is,  therefore,  rather  bold  of  Mr.  Carey,  after  such  an 
admission,  to  attempt  to  prove  that  the  security  of  pro 
perty  is  greater  in  America  than  in  England;  yet,  ne 
vertheless,  such  is  his  assertion. 

Mr.  Carey  bases  his  calculation,  first,  upon  the  losses 
sustained  by  the  banks  of  England,  in  comparison 
with  those  sustained  by  the  banks  of  Massachusetts. 
Here,  as  in  almost  every  other  argument,  Mr.  Carey 
selects  one  small  State — a  State,  par  excellence,  supe 
rior  to  all  the  others  of  the  Union ;  a  pattern  State,  in 
fact, — as  representing  all  America  against  all  England. 
He  admits  that,  as  you  go  South  and  West,  the  com 
plexion  of  things  is  altered  ;  but  notwithstanding  this 
admission,  he  still  argues  upon  this  one  State  only, 
and  consequently  upon  false  premises.  But,  allow 
ing  that  he  proved  that  the  losses  of  all  the  banks 
in  America  were  less  than  the  losses  of  all  the 
banks  in  England,  he  would  still  prove  nothing,  or 
if  he  did  prove  any  thing,  it  would  be  against  him 
self.  Why  are  the  losses  of  American  banks  less?  Sim 
ply  because  they  trust  less.  There  is  not  that  confi- 


51 

dence  in  America  that  there  is  in  England,  and  the  want 
of  confidence  proves  the  want  of  security  of  property. 

The  next  comparison  which  Mr.  Carey  makes  is  be 
tween  the  failures  of  the  banks  of  the  two  countries ;  and 
in  this  argument  he  takes  most  of  the  States  in  the  Union 
into  his  calculation,  and  he  winds  up  by  observing  (in 
italics)  that — "  From  the  first  institution  of  banks  in 
America  to  the  year  1837,  the  failures  have  been  less  by 
about  one-fourt»h,  than  those  of  England  in  the  three 
years  of  1814,  15,  and  16  ;  and  the  amount  of  loss  sus 
tained  by  the  public  bears,  probably,  a  still  smaller  pro 
portion  to  the  amount  of  business  transactions." 

Now,  all  this  proves  nothing,  except  that  the  banks  of 
America  are  more  careful  in  discounting  than  our  own, 
and  that  by  running  less  risk  they  lose  less  money.  But 
from  it  Mr.  Carey  draws  this  strange  conclusion  : — 

"  Individuals  in  Great  Britain  enjoy  as  high  a  degree 
of  credit  as  can  possibly  exist,  but  confidence  is  more 
universal  in  the  United  States." 

Credit  is  the  result  of  confidence ;  and  if,  as  appears 
to  be  the  case,  the  American  confidence  in  each  other  wiH 
not  procure  credit,  it  is  a  very  useless  compliment  passed 
between  them.  It  is  simply  this — "  I  am  certain  that 
you  are  a  very  honest  man,  but  notwithstanding  I  will 
not  lend  you  a  shilling."  Indeed  Mr.  Carey  contradicts 
himself,  for,  two  pages  farther  on,  he  says  r — "  The  ex 
istence  of  the  credit  system  is  evidence  of  mutual  con 
fidence." 

I  should  like  Mr.  Carey  to  answer  one  question : — 

What  would  have  been  the  amount  of  the  failures  of 
the  banks  of  America  in  1837,  if  they  had  not  suspended 
cash  payments  ?  It  is  very  easy  to  carry  on  the  banking 
business  when,  in  defiance  of  their  charters,  the  banks 
will  give  you  nothing  but  their  paper,  and  refuse  you 
specie.  Banks  which  will  not  pay  bullion  for  their  own 
notes  are  not  very  likely  to  fail,  except  in  their  covenant 
with  the  public.  But  it  is  of  little  use  for  Mr.  Carey  to 
assert  on  the  one  hand,  or  for  me  to  deny  on  the  other. 
Every  nation  makes  its  own  character  with  the  rest  of  the 

VOL  ii — 5 


52  CREDIT. 

world,  and  it  is  by  other  nations  that  the  question  between 
us  must  be  decided.  The  question  is  then,  "  Is  the  cre 
dit  of  America  better  than  that  of  England,  in  the  inter 
course  of  the  two  countries  with  .each  other,  and  with 
foreign  nations  ?"  Let  the  commercial  world  decide- 


53 


PENITENTIARIES,  &c. 

ALTHOUGH,  during  my  residence  in  the  cities  of  the 
United  States,  I  visited  most  of  the  public  institutions,  I 
have  not  referred  to  them  at  the  time  in  my  Diary,  as 
they  have  been  so  often  described  by  preceding  travellers. 
I  shall  now,  however,  make  a  few  remarks  upon  the  pe 
nitentiary  system. 

I  think  it  was  Wilkes  who  said,  that  the  very  worst 
use  to  which  you  could  put  a  man  was  to  hang  him  ; 
and  such  appears  to  be  the  opinion  in  America.  That 
hanging  does  not  prevent  crime,  where  people  are  driven 
into  it  by  misery  and  want,  I  believe;  but  it  does  prevent 
crime  where  people  commit  it  merely  from  an  unrestrain 
ed  indulgence  of  their  passions.  This  has  been  satisfac 
torily  proved  in  the  United  States.  At  one  time  the 
murders  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  were  just  as  fre 
quent  as  in  all  the  States  contiguous  to  the  Mississippi ; 
but  the  population  of  the  city  determined  to  put  an  end 
to  such  scenes  of  outrage.  The  population  of  New  Or 
leans  is  very  different  from  that  of  the  Southern  States  in 
general,  being  composed  of  Americans  from  the  Eastern 
States,  English  merchants,  and  French  Creoles.  Vigorous 
laws  and  an  efficient  police  was  established ;  and  one  of 
the  southern  planters,  of  good  family  and  connexions, 
having  committed  a  murder,  was  tried  and  condemned. 
To  avoid  the  gallows,  he  committed  suicide  in  prison. 
This  system  having  been  rigorously  followed  up,  New 
Orleans  has  become  perhaps  the  safest  city  in  the  Union  ; 
and  now  not  even  a  brawl  is  heard  in  those  streets  where, 
a  few  years  back,  murders  occurred  every  hour  of  the 
day. 

In  another  chapter  I  shall  enter  more  fully  into  this 
question  j  at  present  I  shall  only  say  that  there  is  a  great 


54  PENITENTIARIES,  &C. 

unwillingness  to  take  away  life  in  America,  and  it  is  this 
aversion  to  capital  punishment  which  has  directed  the  at 
tention  of  the  American  community  to  the  penitentiary 
system.  Several  varieties  of  this  species  of  punishment 
have  been  resorted  to,  more  or  less  severe.  The  most 
rigid — that  of  solitary  confinement  in  dark  cells,  and  with 
out  labour — was  found  too  great  an  infliction,  as,  in  many 
cases,  it  unsettled  the  reason,  and  ended  in  confirmed  lu 
nacy-  Confinement,  with  the  boon  of  light,  but  without 
employment,  was  productive  of  no  good  effect ;  the  cul 
prit  sank  into  a  state  of  apathy  and  indifference.  After  a 
certain  time,  day  and  night  passed  away  unheeded,  from 
the  want  of  a  healthy  tone  to  the  mind.  The  prisoners 
were  no  longer  lunatics,  but  they  were  little  better  than 
brute  animals. 

Neither  do  I  consider  the  present  system,  as  practised 
at  the  Sing  Sing,  the  state  prison  of  New  York,  as  tend 
ing  to  reform  the  offenders :  it  punishes  them  severely, 
but  that  is  all.  Where  corporal  punishment  is  resorted  to, 
there  always  will  be  feelings  of  vindictiveness  ;  and  all  the 
bad  passions  must  be  allowed  to  repose  before  the  better 
can  gain  the  ascendant. 

The  best  system  is  that  acted  upon  in  the  Penitentiary 
at  Philadelphia,  where  there  is  solitary  confinement,  but 
with  labour  and  exercise.  Mr.  Samuel  Wood,  who  super 
intends  this  establishment,  is  a  person  admirably  calculated 
for  his  task,  and  I  do  not  think  that  any  arrangements 
could  be  better,  or  the  establishment  in  more  excellent 
hands.  But  my  object  was,  not  so  much  to  view  the  pri 
son  and  witness  the  economy  of  it,  as  to  examine  the  pri 
soners  themselves,  and  hear  what  their  opinions  were. 
The  surgeon  may  explain  the  operation,  but  the  patient 
who  has  undergone  it  is  the  proper  person  to  apply  to,  if 
you  wish  to  know  the  degree  and  nature  of  the  pain  in 
flicted.  I  requested,  therefore,  and  obtained  permission, 
to  visit  a  portion  of  the  prisoners  without  a  third  party  be 
ing  present  to  prevent  their  being  communicative  ;  select 
ing  some  who  had  been  in  but  a  short  time,  others  who 
iiad  been  there  for  years,  and  referring  also  to  the  books, 
as  to  the  nature  and  degree  of  their  offence.  I  ought  to 


PENITENTIARIES,  &C.  55 

state  that  I  re-examined  almost  the  whole  of  the  parties 
about  six  months  afterwards,  and  the  results  of  the  two 
examinations  are  now  given.  I  did  not  take  their  names, 
but  registered  them  in  my  notes  as  No.  1,  2,  3,  &c. 

No.  1 — a  man  who  had  been  sentenced  to  twelve  years 
imprisonment  for  the  murder  of  his  wife.  He  had  been 
bred  up  as  a  butcher.  (I  have  observed  that  when  the  use 
of  the  knife  is  habitual,  the  flinching  which  men  naturally 
feel  at  the  idea  of  driving  it  into  a  fellow-creature,  is  over 
come  ;  and  a  man  who  is  accustomed  to  dissect  the  still 
palpitating  carcasses  of  animals,  has  very  little  compunc 
tion  in  resorting  to  the  knife  in  the  event  of  collision  with 
his  own  race.)  This  fellow  looked  a  butcher  ;  his  face  and 
head  were  all  animal ;  he  was  by  no  means  intelligent. 
He  was  working  at  a  loom,  and  had  already  been  confined 
for  seven  years  and  a  half.  He  said  that,  after  the  first 
six  months  of  his  confinement,  lie  had  lost  all  reckoning 
of  time,  and  had  not  cared  to  think  about  it  until  lately, 
when  he  enquired,  and  was  told  how  long  he  had  been 
locked  up.  Now  that  he  had  discovered  that  more  than 
half  his  time  had  passed  away,  it  occupied  his  whole 
thoughts,  and  sometimes  he  felt  very  impatient. 

Mr.  Wood  told  me  afterwards  that  this  feeling,  when 
the  expiration  of  the  sentence  was  very  near  at  hand, 
sometimes  amounted  to  agony. 

This  man  had  denied  the  murder  of  his  wife,  and  still 
persisted  in  the  denial,  although  there  was  no  doubt  of 
his  having  committed  the  crime.  Of  course,  in  this  in 
stance  there  was  no  repentance;  and  the  Penitentiary 
was  thrown  away  upon  him,  further  than  that,  for  twelve 
years,  he  could  not  contaminate  society. 

No.  2. — sentenced  to  four  years'  imprisonment  for 
forgery;  his  time  was  nearly  expired.  This  was  a  very 
intelligent  man  ;  by  profession  he  had  been  a  schoolmas 
ter.  He  had  been  in  prison  before  for  the  same  offence. 

His  opinion  as  to  the  Penitentiary  was,  that  it  could 

do  no  harm,  and  might  do  much  good.     The  fault  of  the 

system  was  one  which  could  not  well  be  remedied,  which 

was,  that  there  was  degradation  attached  to  it.     Could 

5* 


56  PENITENTIARIES,  &C. 

punishment  undergone  for  crime  be  viewed  in  the  same 
way  as  repentance  was  by  the  Almighty,  and  a  man, 
after  suffering  for  his  fault,  re-appear  in  the  world  with 
clean  hands,  and  be  admitted  into  society  as  before,  it 
would  be  attended  with  the  very  best  effects  ;  but  there 
was  no  working  out  the  degradation.  When  he  was  re 
leased  from  his  former  imprisonment,  he  had  been  obliged 
to  fly  from  the  place  where  he  was  known.  He  was 
pursued  by  the  harshness  of  the  world,  not  only  in  him 
self,  but  in  his  children.  No  one  would  allow  that  his 
punishment  had  wiped  away  his  crime,  and  this  was  the 
reason  why  people,  inclined  to  be  honest,  were  driven 
again  into  guilt.  Not  only  would  the  world  not  encour 
age  them,  but  it  would  not  permit  them  to  become  hon 
est  ;  the  finger  of  scorn  was  pointed  wherever  they  were 
known,  or  found  out,  and  the  punishment  after  release 
was  infinitely  greater  than  that  of  the  prison  itself. 

Miss  Martineau  observes,  "  I  was  favoured  with  the 
confidence  of  a  great  number  of  the  prisoners  in  the 
Philadelphia  Penitentiary,  where  absolute  seclusion  is  the 
principle  of  punishment.  Every  one  of  these  prisoners 
(none  of  them  being  aware  of  the  existence  of  any  other) 
told  me  that  he  was  under  obligations  to  those  who  had 
charge  of  him  for  treating  him  '  with  respect.  'r 

No.  3 — a  very  intelligent,  but  not  educated  man:  im 
prisoned  three  years  for  stealing.  He  had  only  been  a 
few  months  in  the  Penitentiary,  but  had  been  confined 
for  ten  years  in  Sing  Sing  prison  for  picking  pockets.  I 
asked  him  his  opinion  as  to  the  difference  of  treatment 
in  the  two  establishments.  He  replied,  "  In  Sing  Sing 
the  punishment  is  corporal— here  it  is  more  mental.  In 
Sing  Sing  there  was  little  chance  of  a  person's  reforma 
tion,  as  the  treatment  was  harsh  and  brutal,  and  the  feel 
ings  of  the  prisoners  were  those  of  indignation  and  re 
sentment.  Their  whole  time  was  occupied  in  trying  how 
they  could  deceive  their  keepers,  and  communicate  with 
each  other  by  every  variety  of  stratagem.  Here  a  man 
was  left  to  his  own  reflections,  and  at  the  same  time  he 
was  treated  like  a  man.  Here  he  was  his  own  tormentor  ; 


PENITENTIARIES,   &C.  57 

at  Sing  Sing  he  was  tormented  by  others.  A  man  was 
sent  to  Sing  Sing  for  doing  wrong  to  others  ;  when  there, 
he  was  quite  as  much  wronged  himself.  Two  wrongs 
never  made  a  right.  Again,  at  Sing  Sing  they  all  work 
ed  in  company,  and  knew  each  other ;  when  they  met 
again,  after  they  were  discharged,  they  enticed  one  another 
to  do  wrong  again.  He  was  convinced  that  no  man  left 
Sing  Sing  a  better  man  than  he  went  in.  Here  he  felt 
very  often  that  he  could  become  better — perhaps  he 
might.  At  all  events  his  mind  was  calm,  and  he  had  no 
feelings  of  resentment  for  his  treatment.  He  had  now 
leisure  and  quiet  for  self  examination,  if  he  chose  to  avail 
himself  of  it.  At  Sing  Sing  there  was  great  injustice, 
and  no  redress.  The  infirm  man  was  put  to  equal  labour 
with  the  robust,  and  punished  if  he  did  not  perform  as 
much.  The  flogging  was  very  severe  at  Sing  Sing.  He 
once  ventured  to  express  his  opinion  that  such  was  the 
case,  and  (to  prove  the  contrary  he  supposed)  they 
awarded  him  eighty-seven  lashes  for  the  information. 

That  many  of  this  man's  observations,  in  the  parallel 
drawn  between  the  two  establishments,  are  correct,  must 
be  conceded  ;  but  still  some  of  his  assertions  must  be 
taken  with  due  reservation,  as  it  is  evident  that  he  had 
no  very  pleasant  reminiscences  of  his  ten  years'  geolo 
gical  studies  in  Sing  Sing. 

No.  4 — an  Irishman  ;  very  acute.  He  had  been  im 
prisoned  seven  years  for  burglary,  and  his  time  would 
expire  in  a  month.  Had  been  confined  also  in  Walnut 
Street  prison,  Philadelphia,  for  two  years  previous  to  his 
coming  here.  He  said  that  it  was  almost  impossible  for 
any  man  to  reform  in  that  prison,  although  some  few  did. 
He  had  served  many  years  in  the  United  States  navy. 
He  declared  that  his  propensity  to  theft  was  only  strong 
upon  him  when  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  or  tobacco, 
which  latter  had  the  same  effect  upon  him  as  spirits.  He 
thought  that  he  was  reformed  now  ;  the  reason  why  he 
thought  so  was,  that  he  now  liked  work,  and  had  learnt 
^  profession  in  the  prison,  which  he  never  had  before. 
He  considered  himself  a  good  workman,  as  he  could; 


58  PENITENTIARIES,    &C. 

make  a  pair  of  shoes  in  a  day.  He  cannot  now  bear  the 
smell  of  liquor  or  tobacco.  (This  observation  must  have 
been  from  imagination,  as  he  had  no  opportunity  in  the 
Penitentiary  of  testing  his  dislike.)  He  ascribed  all  his 
crimes  to  ardent  spirits.  He  was  fearful  of  only  one 
thing :  his  time  was  just  out,  and  where  was  he  to  go  ? 
If  known  to  have  been  in  the  prison,  he  would  never  find 
work.  He  knew  a  fact  which  had  occurred,  which  would 
prove  that  he  had  just  grounds  for  his  fear.  A  tailor,  who 
had  been  confined  in  Walnut  Street  prison  with  him, 
had  been  released  as  soon  as  his  time  was  up.  He  was 
an  excellent  workman,  and  resolved  for  the  future  to  be 
honest.  He  obtained  employment  from  a  master  tailor 
in  Philadelphia,  and  in  three  months  was  made  foreman. 
One  of  the  inspectors  of  Walnut  Street  prison  came  in 
for  clothes,  and  his  friend  was  called  down  to  take  the 
measures.  The  inspector  recognized  him,  and  as  soon 
as  he  left  the  shop  told  his  master  that  he  had  been  in 
the  Walnut  Street  prison.  The  man  was  in  consequence 
immediately  discharged.  He  could  obtain  no  more  work, 
and  in  a  few  months  afterwards  found  his  way  back 
again  to  Walnut  Street  prison  for  a  fresh  offence. 

No.  5 — a  fine  intelligent  Yankee,  very  bold  in  bearing. 
He  was  in  the  Penitentiary  under  a  false  name,  being 
well  connected ;  had  been  brought  up  as  an  architect 
and  surveyor,  and  was  imprisoned  for  having  counter 
feit  bank  notes  in  his  possession.  This  fellow  was  a 
regular  lawyer,  and  very  amusing  ;  it  appeared  as  if 
nothing  could  subdue  his  elasticity  of  spirit.  He  said 
that  he  did  not  think  that  he  should  be  better  for  his  in 
carceration  ;  on  the  contrary,  that  it  would  produce  very 
bad  effects.  "  I  am  punished,"  said  he,  "  not  for  having 
passed  counterfeit  notes,  but  for  having  them  in  my  pos 
session.  The  facts  are,  I  had  lost  all  my  money  by 
gambling ;  and  then  the  gamblers,  to  make  me  amends, 
gave  me  some  of  their  counterfeit  notes,  which  they 
always  have  by  them.  I  do  not  say  that  I  should  not 
have  uttered  them  ;  I  believe  that  in  my  distress  I  should 
have  done  so ;  but  I  had  not  exactly  made  up  my  mind. 


PENITENTIARIES,    &C.  59 

At  all  events,  /  had  not  passed  them  when,  from  infor 
mation  given,  I  was  taken  up.  This  is  certain,  that  not 
having  passed  them,  it  is  very  possible  for  a  man  to  have 
forged  notes  in  his  possession  without  being  aware  of  it; 
but  this  was  not  considered  by  my  judges,  although  it 
ought  to  have  been,  as  I  had  never  been  brought  up  be 
fore  ;  and  I  have  now  been  sentenced  to  exactly  the  same 
term  of  imprisonment  as  those  who  were  convicted  of 
passing  them.  Now,  this  I  consider  as  unfair ;  my 
punishment  is  too  severe  for  my  offence,  and  that  always 
does  harm — it  creates  a  vindictive  feeling,  and  a  desire 
to  revenge  yourself  for  the  injustice  done  to  you. 

"  Now,  sir,"  continued  he,  "  I  should  have  no  objection 
to  compromise  ;  if  they  would  reduce  my  punishment  one 
half,  I  would  acknowledge  the  justice  of  it,  and  turn 
honest  when  I  go  out  again  ;  but  if  I  am  confined  here  for 
three  years,  why  it  is  my  opinion  that  I  shall  revenge  my 
self  upon  society  as  soon  as  I  am  turned  loose  again." 
This  was  said  in  a  very  cheerful,  playful  manner,  as  he 
stood  up  before  his  loom.  A  more  energetic  expression, 
a  keener  grey  eye,  I  never  met  with.  There  was  evidently 
great  daring  of  soul  in  this  man. 

No.  6 — had  only  been  confined  six  weeks  ;  his  offence 
was  stealing  pigs,  and  his  companion  in  the  crime  had 
been  sent  here  with  him.  He  declared  that  lie  was  inno 
cent,  and  that  he  had  been  committed  by  false  swearing. 
There  is  no  country  in  the  \vorld  where  there  is  so  much 
perjury  as  in  the  United  States,  if  I  am  to  believe  the 
Americans  themselves  ;  but  Mr.  Wood  told  me  that  he 
was  present  at  the  trial,  and  that  there  was  no  doubt  of  their 
guilt.  This  man  was  cheerful  and  contented  ;  he  was 
working  at  the  loom,  and  had  already  become  skilful.  All 
whom  I  had  seen  up  to  the  present  had  employment  of 
some  sort  or  other,  and  I  should  have  passed  over  this 
man,  as  T  had  done  some  others,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
contrast  between  him  and  his  companion. 

No.  7 — this  companion  or  accomplice.  In  consequence 
of  the  little  demand  for  the  Penitentiary  manufactures 
this  man  had  no  employment.  The  first  thing  he  told 
me  was  that  he  had  nothing  to  do,  and  was  very  miserable, 


60  PENITENTIARIES.  &C. 

He  earnestly  requested  me  to  ask  for  employment  for 
him.  He  cried  bitterly  while  he  spoke,  was  quite  un 
manned  and  depressed,  and  complained  that  he  had  not  been 
permitted  to  hear  from  his  wife  and  children.  The  want 
of  employment  appeared  to  have  completely  prostrated 
this  man  ;  although  confined  but  six  weeks,  he  had  already 
lost  the  time,  and  enquired  of  me  the  day  of  the  week 
and  the  month. 

No.  8 — was  at  large.  He  had  been  appointed  apothe 
cary  to  the  prison  ;  of  course  he  was  not  strictly  confined, 
and  was  in  a  comfortable  room.  He  was  a  shrewd  man, 
and  evidently  well  educated;  he  had  been  reduced  to 
beggary  by  his  excesses,  and  being  too  proud  to  work,  he 
had  not  been  too  proud  to  commit  forgery.  I  had  a  long 
conversation  with  him,  and  he  made  some  sensible  remarks 
upon  the  treatment  of  prisoners,  and  the  importance  of 
delegating  the  charge  of  prisoners  to  competent  persons. 
His  remarks  also  upon  American  juries  were  very  severe, 
and,  as  I  subsequently  ascertained,  but  too  true. 

No.  9 — a  young  woman,  about  nineteen  ;  confined  for 
larceny  ;  in  other  respects  a  good  character.  She  was 
very  quiet  and  subdued,  and  said  that  she  infinitely  pre 
ferred  the  solitude  of  the  Penitentiary  to  the  company 
with  which  she  must  have  associated  had  she  been  con 
fined  in  a  common  gaol.  She  did  not  appear  at  all  anxious 
for  the  expiration  of  her  term.  Her  cell  was  very  neat, 
and  ornamented  with  her  own  hands  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
I  observed  that  she  had  a  lock  of  hair  on  her  forehead 
which,  from  the  care,  taken  of  it,  appeared  to  be  a  favourite, 
and  as  I  left  the  cell,  1  said — "  You  appear  to  have  taken 
great  pains  with  that  lock  of  hair,  considering  that  you 
have  no  one  to  look  at  you  ?" — "  Yes,  sir,"  replied  she  ; 
"  and  if  you  think  that  vanity  will  desert  a  woman,  even 
in  the  solitude  of  a  Penitentiary,  you  are  mistaken." 

When  I  visited  this  girl  a  second  time,  her  term  was 
nearly  expired  ;  she  told  me  that  she  had  not  the  least 
wish  to  leave  her  cell,  and  that  if  they  confined  her  for 
two  years  more,  she  was  content  to  stay.  u  I  am  quite 
peaceful  and  happy  here,"  said  she,  and  I  believe  she 
really  spoke  the  truth. 


PENITENTIARIES,  &C.  61 

No.  10 — a  free  mulatto  girl,  about  eighteen  years  of 
age,  one  of  the  most  forbidding  of  her  race,  and  with  a 
physiognomy  perfectly  brutal ;  but  she  evidently  had  no 
mean  opinion  of  her  own  charms  :  her  woolly  hair  was 
twisted  into  at  least  fifty  short  plaits,  and  she  grinned  from 
ear  to  ear  as  she  advanced  to  meet  me.  "  Pray  may  I  in 
quire  what  you  are  imprisoned  for  ?"  said  I. — "  Why, 
replied  she,  smirking,  smiling  and  coquetting,  as  she 
tossed  her  head  right  and  left — "  If  you  please,  sir,  I  was 
put  in  here  for  poisoning  a  whole  family''1  She  really 
appeared  to  think  that  she  had  done  a  very  praiseworthy 
act.  I  inquired  of  her  if  she  was  aware  of  the  heinous- 
ness  of  her  offence.  "  Yes,  she  knew  it  was  wrong,  but 
if  her  mistress  beat  her  again  as  she  had  done,  she  thought 
she  would  do  it  again.  She  had  been  in  prison  three 
years,  and  had  four  more  to  remain."  I  asked  her  if  the 
fear  of  punishment — if  another  incarceration  for  seven 
years  would  not  prevent  her  from  committing  such  a  crime 
a  second  time.  "  She  didn't  know  ;  she  didn't  like  being 
shut  up — found  it  very  tedious,  but  still  she  thought — was 
not  right  sure — but  she  thought  that,  if  ill-treated,  she 
should  certainly  do  it  again." 

I  paid  a  second  visit  to  this  amiable  young  lady,  and 
asked  her  what  her  opinion  was  then. — **  Why,  she  had 
been  thinking,  but  had  not  exactly  made  up  her  mind — 
but  she  still  thought — indeed  she  was  convinced — that 
she  should  do  it  again." 

I  entered  many  other  cells,  and  had  conversation  with 
the  prisoners ;  but  I  did  not  elicit  from  them  any  thing 
worth  narrating.  There  is,  however,  a  great  deal  to  be 
gained  from  the  conversation  which  I  have  recorded.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  observations  made  by  one  pri 
soner,  which  struck  me  as  important,  if  not  made  by 
others,  were  put  as  questions  by  me ;  and  I  found  that 
the  opinions  of  the  most  intelligent,  although  differently 
expressed,  led  to  the  same  result — that  the  present  sys 
tem  of  the  Philadelphia  Penitentiary  was  the  best  that 
had  been  invented.  As  the  schoolmaster  said,  if  it  did  no 
good,  it  could  do  no  harm.  There  is  one  decided  advan 
tage  in  this  system,  which  is,  that  they  all  learn  a  trade. 


62  PENITENTIARIES,    &C. 

if  they  had  not  one  before  ;  and,  when  they  leave  the  pri 
son,  have  the  means  of  obtaining  an  honest  livelihood,  if 
they  wish  so  to  do  themselves,  and  are  permitted  so  to 
do  by  others.  Here  is  the  stumbling-block,  which  neu 
tralizes  almost  air U|ex  good  effects  which  might  be  pro 
duced  by  the  Penitentiary  system.  The  severity  and 
harshness  of  the  world ;  the  unchristianlike  feeling  per 
vading  society,  which  denies  to  the  penitent  what  indi 
vidually  they  will  have  to  plead  for  themselves  at  the 
great  tribunal,  and  which  will  not  permit  that  punishment, 
awarded  and  suffered,  can  expiate  the  crime ;  on  this 
point,  there  is  no  hope  of  a  better  feeling  being  engen 
dered.  Mankind  have  been  and  will  be  the  same ;  and  it 
is  only  to  be  hoped  that  we  may  receive  more  mercy  in 
the  next  world  than  we  are  inclined  to  extend  towards 
our  fellow-creatures  in  this. 

As  I  have  before  observed,  I  care  little  for  the  observa 
tions  or  assertions  of  directors  or  of  officers  entrusted 
with  the  charge  of  the  Penitentiaries  and  houses  of  cor 
rection  ;  they  are  unintentionally  biassed,  and  tilings  that 
appear  to  them  to  be  mere  trifles  are  very  often  extreme 
hardships  to  the  prisoners.  It  is  not  only  what  the  body 
suffers,  but  what  the  mind  suffers,  which  must  be  con 
sidered  ;  and  it  is  from  the  want  of  this  consideration  that 
arise  most  of  the  defects  in  those  establishments,  not  only 
in  America,  but  every  where  else. 

During  my  residence  in  the  United  States,  a  little  work 
made  its  appearance,  which  I  immediately  procured ;  it 
was  the  production  of  an  American,  a  scholar,  once  in 
the  best  society,  but  who,  by  intemperance,  had  forfeited 
his  claim  to  it.  He  wrote  the  very  best  satirical  poem  I 
ever  read  by  an  American,  full  of  force,  and  remarkable 
for  energetic  versification ;  but  intemperance,  the  preva 
lent  vice  of  America,  had  reduced  him  to  beggary  and 
wretchedness.  He  was  (by  his  own  request  I  under 
stand)  shut  up  in  the  House  of  Correction  at  South  Bos 
ton,  that  he  might,  if  possible,  be  reclaimed  from  intem 
perance  ;  and,  on  his  leaving  it,  he  published  a  small 
work,  called  "  The  Rat-Trap,  or  Cogitations  of  a  Convict 
'in  the  House  of  Correction."  This  work  bears  the  mark 


PENITENTIARIES,   &C.  61& 

•of  a  reflective,  although  buoyant  mind ;  and  as  he  speaks 
in  the  highest  terms  of  Mr.  Robbins  the  master,  and  be 
stows  praise  generally  when  deserved,  his  remarks,  al 
though  occasionally  jocose,  are  well  worthy  of  attention  ; 
and  I  shall,  therefore,  introduce  a  few  of  them  to  the 
reader. 

His  introduction  commences  thus  :— 

"  I  take  it  for  granted  that  one  of  every  two  individuals 
in  this  most  moral  community  in  the  world  has  been, 
will  be,  or  deserves  or  fears  to  be,  in  the  House  of  Cor 
rection.  Give  every  man  his  deserts,  and  who  shall  es 
cape  whipping?  This  book  must,  therefore,  be  interesting, 
and  will  have  a  good  circulation — not,  perhaps,  in  this 
State  alone.  The  State  spends  its  money  for  the  above 
institution,  and,  therefore,  has  a  right  to  know  what  it  is ; 
a  knowledge  which  can  never  be  obtained  from  the  re 
ports  of  the  authorities,  the  cursory  observations  of  visi 
tors,  or  the  statements  of  ignorant  and  exasperated  con 
victs. 

'  What  thief  e'er  felt  the  halter  draw, 
With  good  opinion  of  the  law  ?" 

It  has  been  my  aim  to  furnish  such  knowledge,  and  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  I  have  had  the  best  opportunities  to 
obtain  it." 

To  show  the  prevalence  of  intemperance  in  this  coun 
try  among  the  better  classes,  read  the  following : — 

"  On  entering  the  wool-shop,  a  man  nodded  to  me, 
whom  I  immediately  recognized  as  a  lawyer  of  no  mean 
talent,  who  had,  at  no  very  distant  period,  been  an  orna 
ment  of  society,  and  a  man  well  esteemed  for  many  ex 
cellent  qualities,  all  of  which  are  now  forgotten,  while  his 
only  fault,  intemperance,  remains  engraven  on  steel.  This 
was  not  his  first  term,  or  his  second,  or  his  third.  At 
this  time  of  writing  he  is  discharged,  a  sober  man,  anxious 
for  employment,  which  he  cannot  get.  His  having  been 
in  the  House  of  Correction  shuts  every  door  against  him, 
and  he  must  have  more  than  ordinary  firmness  if  he  does 
not  relapse  again.  From  my  inmost  soul  I  pity  him. 

VOL.  ii. — 6 


64  PENITENTIARIES,    &C. 

Another  aged  man  I  recognized  as  a  doctor  of  medicine  : 
his  gray  hairs  would  have  been  venerable  in  any  other 
place." 

The  labour  in  this  House  of  Correction  which  he  de 
scribes  is  chiefly  confined  to  wool-picking,  stone-cutting, 
and  blacksmiths'  work.  The  fare  he  states  to  be  plenti 
ful,  but  not  of  the  very  best  quality.  Speaking  of  ill- 
treatment,  he  says  : — 

"  The  convicts  all  have  the  privilege  of  complaint 
ngainst  officers  ;  but  while  I  was  there  no  one  used  it  but 
myself.  I  believe  they  dared  not.  The  officer  would 
probably  deny  or  gloss  over  the  cause  of  complaint,  and 
his  word  would  be  believed  rather  than  that  of  the  con 
vict;  and  his  power  of  retaliation  is  so  tremendous,  that 
few  would  care  to  brave  it.  The  chance  is  ten  to  one 
that  a  complaint  to  the  directors  would  be  falsified  and 
prove  fruitless ;  and  the  visit  of  the  governor,  council, 
and  magistrates,  for  the  purpose  of  inquiry,  is  mere  mat 
ter  of  form.  When  they  asked  me  if  I  had  reason  to 
complain  of  rny  treatment,  I  answered  in  the  negative, 
because  I  really  had  none  ;  but  had  they  asked  me  if  there 
was  any  defect  in  the  institution,  I  would  have  pointed  out 
a  good  many." 

The  monotony  of  their  existence  is  well  described : — - 

"  Few  incidents  chequered  the  monotony  of  our  ex 
istence.  '  Who  has  a  got  a  piece  of  steel  in  his  eye  ?' — 
'  Who  has  gone  to  the  hospital  ?' — '  How  many  came  to 
day  in  the  carryall  ?  were  almost  the  only  questions  we 
could  ask.  A  man  falling  from  the  new  prison,  and 
breaking  his  bones  in  a  fashion  not  to  be  approved,  was  a 
conversational  godsend.  One  day  the  retiring  tide  left  a 
small  box  on  the  sands  at  the  bottom  of  the  House  of 
Correction  wharf,  which  was  picked  up  by  a  convict, 
and  found  to  contain  the  bequest  of  some  woman  who 
had  'loved  not  wisely,  but  too  well;'  namely,  a  pair  of 
new-born  infants.  In  my  mind,  their  fate  was  happy.  If 
they  never  knew  woman's  tenderness,  neither  did  they 
ever  know  woman's  falsehood.  There  is  less  pleasure 
than  pain  in  this  bad  world,  and  the  earlier  we  take  leave 
of  it  the  better." 


PENITENTIARIES,    &C.  65 

He  complains  of  due  regard  not  being  paid  to  the 
cleanliness  of  the  prisoners  : — 

"A  great  defect  in  the  police  of  the  house  was  the 
want  of  baths.  We  were  shaved,  or  rather  scraped,  but 
once  a  week.  Washing  one's  face  and  hands  in  ice-cold 
water  of  a  winter  morning,  is  little  better  than  no  ablu 
tion  at  all.  The  harbour  water  is  interdicted,  lest  the 
convicts  should  swim  away,  and  in  the  stone  shop  there 
are  no  conveniences  for  bathing  whatever  :  they  would 
cost  something  !  In  the  wool-shop,  forty  men  have  one 
tubful  of  warm  water  once  a  week.  When  I  say  that 
shirts  are  worn  a  week  in  summer,  and  (as  well  as  draw 
ers)  two  or  three  weeks  in  winter,  it  will  at  once  be  con 
ceded  that  some  further  provision  for  personal  cleanliness 
is  imperatively  demanded.  I  hope  neither  this  nor  any 
other  remark  I  may  think  fit  to  make  will  be  taken  as 
emanating  from  a  fault-finding  spirit,  since,  while  I  pro 
nounce  upon  the  disease,  I  suggest  the  remedy." 

Speaking  of  his  companions,  he  says  : — 

"I  had -expected  to  find  myself  linked  with  a  band  of 
most  outrageous  ruffians,  but  such  did  not  prove  to  be  the 
case.  Few  of  them  were  decidedly  of  a  vicious  temper 
ament.  The  great  fault  with  them  seemed  to  be  a  want 
of  moral  knowledge  and  principle.  Were  I  to  commit  a 
theft  I  should  think  myself  unworthy  to  live  an  instant  ; 
but  some  of  them  spoke  of  the  felonies  for  which  they 
were  adjudged  to  suffer  with  as  much  nonchalance  as  if 
they  were  the  every-day  business  of  life,  without  scruple 
and  without  shame.  Few  of  them  denied  the  justice  of 
their  sentences  ;  and  if  they  expressed  any  regret,  it  was 
not  that  they  had  sinned,  but  that  they  had  been  detected. 
The  duration  of  the  sentence,  the  time  or  money  lost,  the 
physical  suffering,  was  what  filled  their  estimate  of  their 
condition.  Many  had  groans  and  oaths  for  a  lost  dinner, 
a  night  in  the  cells,  or  a  tough  piece  of  work,  but  none 
had  a  tear  for  the  branding  infamy  of  their  conviction. 
Yet  some,  even  of  the  most  hardened,  faltered,  and  spoke 
with  quivering  lip  and  glistening  eye,  when  they  thought 
of  their  parents,  wives,  and  children.  The  flinty  Horeb 
of  their  souls  sometimes  yielded  gushing  streams  to  the 


66  PENITENTIARIES,  &(T. 

force  of  that  appeal.  But  there  were  very  few  who  felt 
any  shame  on  their  own  account.  Their  apathy  on  the 
point  of  honour  was  amazing.  A  young  man,  not  twen 
ty-five  years  old,  in  particular,  made  his  felonies  his 
glory,  and  boasted  that  he  had  been  a  tenant  of  half  the 
prisons  in  the  United  States^  He  was  sentenced  to  four 
years'  imprisonment  for  stealing  a  great  number  of  pieces 
of  broad-cloth,  which  he  unblushmgly  told  me  he  had 
lodged  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver  of  stolen  goods,  and  ex 
pected  to  receive  the  value  at  the  expiration  of  his  sen 
tence.  He  relied  on  the  proverbial  *  honour  among 
thieves.'  That  fellow  ought  to  be  kept  in  safe  custody 
the  remainder  of  his  natural  life." 

Certainly  those  remarks  do  not  argue  much  for  the  re 
formation  of  the  culprit. 

By  his  account,  a  parsimony  in  every  point  appears  to 
be  the  great  desideratum  aimed  at.  Speaking  of  the 
chaplain  to  the  institution,  he  says  : — 

"  Small  blame  to  him  ;  1  honour  and  respect  the  man, 
though  I  laugh  at  the  preacher.  And  I  say,  that  seven 
hundred  and  thirty  sermons  per  annum,  for  three  hun 
dred  dollars  and  a  weekly  dinner,  are  quite  pork  enough 
for  a  shilling.  No  man  goeth  a  warfare  on  his  own 
charges,  and  the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  I  do 
not  see  how  he  can  justify  such  wear  and  tear  of  his  pul 
monary  leather,  for  so  small  a  sum,  to  his  conscience. 
What  is  a  sixpenny  razor  or  a  nine-shilling  sermon  ? 
Neither  can  be  expected  to  cut — not  but  his  sermons- 
would  be  very  good  for  the  use  of  glorified  saints — but, 
alas !  there  are  none  such  in  the  House  of  Correction. 
What  is  the  inspiration  of  a  penny-a-liner?  I  will  sup 
pose  that  one  of  the  hearers  is  a  sailor,  who  would  relish 

a-nd  appreciate  a  sausage  or  a  lobscouee..  Mr. sets 

blanc  mange  before  him.  Messrs,  ef  the  City  Govern 
ment,  give  your  chaplain  two  thousand  dollars  a  year,  sa 
that  he  may  reside  in  the  House  of  Correction,  without 
leaving  his  family  to  starvation  ;  let  him  visit  each  indi 
vidual,  learn  his  circumstances  and  character,  and  sym 
pathise  with  him  in  all  his  sorrows,  and,  my  word  for  it  > 
Mr. will  have  the  love  and  confidence  of  alL  He* 


PENITENTIARIES,  &C.  67 

will  be  an  instrument  of  great  good  by  his  counsel  and 
exhortations.  But  as  for  his  public  preaching,  this  truly 
good,  pious,  and  learned  man  might  as  well  sing  psalms 
to  a  mad  horse.  Fishes  will  not  throng  to  St.  Anthony, 
or  swine  listen  to  the  exorcism  of  an  apostle,  in  these 
godless  days.  If  you  think  he  will  be  overpaid  for  his 
services,  you  may  braze  the  duty  of  a  school-master,  who 
is  very  much  needed,  to  that  of  a  ghostly  adviser. 

"  Mr. never  fails  to  pray  strenuously  that  the  mas 
ter  and  officers  may  be  supported  and  sustained,  which 
has  given  rise  to  the  following  tin-pot  epigram  : — 

"  Support  the  master  and  the  overseers, 

O  Lord !  so  runs  our  chaplain's  weekly  ditty ; 

Unreasonable  prayers  God  never  hears, 

He  knows  that  they're  supported  by  the  city." 

He  complains  bitterly  of  the  convicts  not  being  per 
mitted  the  use  of  any  books  but  the  Bible  and  Temper 
ance  Almanac.* 

"Is  it  pleasant  to  look  back  on  follies,  vices,  crimes  ; 
presently  on  blasted  hopes,  iron  bars,  and  unrequited  la 
bour  ;  and  forward  upon  misery,  starvation,  and  a  world's 
scorn  ?  In  some  degree  the  malice  of  this  regulation 
which  ought  only  to  be  inscribed  on  the  statute-book  or 
hell,  is  impotent.  The  small  glimpse  of  earth,  sea,  and 
sky  a  convict  can  command,  a  spider  crawling  upon  the 
wall,  the  very  corners  of  his  cell,  will  serve,  by  a  strong 
effort,  for  occupation  for  his  thoughts.  Read  the  follow 
ing  tea-pot-graven  monologue,  written  by  some  mentally 
suffering-convict,  and  reflect  upon  it : — 

"  Stone  walls  and  iron  bars  my  frame  confine, 
But  the  full  liberty  of  thought  is  mine. 
Sad  privilege !  the  mental  glance  to  cast 
O'er  crimes,  o'er  follies  and  misconduct  past. 
Oh  wretched  tenant  of  a  guarded  cell, 
Thy  very  freedom  makes  thy  mind  a  hell. 

*  It  is  rather  strange,  but  he  says  that  he  supposes  that  a  full 
half  of  the  inmates  of  this  House  of  Correction  can  neither  read 
nor  write. 

6* 


66  PENITENTIARIES,  &C. 

Come,  blessed  death ;  thy  grinded  dart  to  me 
Shall  the  bless'd  signal  of  deliverance  be ; 
With  thy  worst  agonies  were  cheaply  bought, 
A  last  release,  a  final  rest  from  thought." 

"  If  the  pains  of  a  prison  be  not  enough  for  you,  I  will 
teach  you  a  lesson  in  the  art  of  torture  which  I  learned 
from  our  chaplain,  or  one  of  his  substitutes.  '  Make  your 
cells  round  and  smooth  ;  let  there  be  no  prominent  point 
for  the  eye  to  rest  upon,  so  that  it  must  necessarily  turn 
inward,  and  I  will  warrant  that  you  will  soon  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  your  victim  frantic.'  Look  well  to  the 
temperance  trash  you  physic  us  with,  and  you  will  find, 
in  the  Almanac  for  1837,  a  serious  attempt  to  make  Napo 
leon  Bonaparte  out  a  drunkard,  and  to  prove  that  a  rum- 
bottle  lost  him  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  The  author  must 
himself  have  been  drunk  when  he  wrote  it.  Are  you  not 
ashamed,  to  set  such  pitiful  cant,  I  will  not  say  such  wil 
ful  falsehood  and  slander,  before  any  rational  creature! 
Did  you  not  know  that  an  overcharged  gun  would  knock 
the  musketeer  over  by  its  recoil  ?  I  do  not  tell  you  to  give 
tiie  convicts  all  and  any  books  they  may  desire  ;  but  pray 
what  harm  would  an  arithmetic  do,  unless  it  taught  them 
to  refute  the  statistics  of  your  lying  almanac,  which  grave 
ly  advises  farmers  to  feed  their  hogs  with  apples,  to  pre 
vent  folks  from  getting  drunk  on  cider  ?  Why  not  tell 
them  to  feed  their  cattle  with  barley  and  wheat  for  the  same 
reason?  What  mind  was  ever  corrupted  by  Murray's 
Grammar,  or  Washington  Irving's  Columbus?  When 
was  ever  falsehood  the  successful  pioneer  of  truth  ?" 

His  remarks  upon  visitors  being  permitted  to  see  the 
convicts  are  good. 

"  Among  the  annoyances,  which  others  as  well  as  my 
self  felt  most  galling,  was  the  frequent  intrusion  of  visitors, 
who  had  no  object  but  the  gratification  of  a  morbid  curi 
osity.  Know  all  persons,  that  the  most  debased  convict 
has  human  feelings,  and  does  not  like  to  be  seen  in  a  parti 
coloured  jacket.  If  ye  want  to  see  any  convict  for  any 
good  reason,  ask  the  master  to  let  you  meet  him  in  his 
office  ;  and  even  there,  you  may  rely  upon  it,  your  visit 


PENITENTIARIES,  &C.  69 

will  be  painful  enough ;  to  be  stared  at  by  the  ignorant  and 
the  mean  with  feelings  of  pity,  as  if  one  were  some  mon 
ster  of  Ind,  was  intolerable.  I  hope  a  certain  connection 
of  mine,  who  came  to  see  me  unasked  and  unwelcome, 
and  brought  a  stranger  with  him  to  witness  my  disgrace, 
may  never  feel  the  pain  he  inflicted  on  me.  To  a  kind- 
hearted  '  Mac,'  who  came  in  a  proper  and  delicate  way  to 
comfort  when  I  thought  all  the  world  had  forsaken  me,  I 
tender  my  most  grateful  thanks.  His  kindness  shall  be 
remembered  by  me  while  memory  holds  her  seat.  Let 
the  throng  of  uninvited  fools  who  swarmed  about  us,  ac 
cept  the  following  sally  of  the  House  of  Correction  muse, 
from  the  pen,  or  rather  the  fork,  of  a  fellow  convict,  It 
may  operate  to  edification-. 

'  TO    OUR    VISITORS. 

1  By  gazing  at  us,  sirs,  pray  what  do  you  mean  ? 
Are  we  the  first  rascals  that  ever  were  seen  ? 
Look  into  your  mirrors — perhaps  you  may  find 
All  villains  are  not  in  South  Boston  confined. 

'  I'm  not  a  wild  beastr  to  be  seen  for  a  penny ; 
But  a  man,  as  well  made  and  as  proper  as  any ; 
And  what  we  most  differ  in  is,  well  I  wot, 
That  I  have  my  merits,  and  you  have  them  not. 

*  I  own  I'm  a  drunkard ;  but  much  I  incline 
To  think  that  your  elbow  crooks  as  often  as  mine ; 
Aye,  breathe  in  my  face,  sir,  as  much  as  you  will — 
One  blast  of  your  breath  is  as  good  as  a  gill. 

'How  kind  was  our  country, to  find  us  a  home 
Where  duns  cannot  plague  us,  or  enemies  come  I 
And  you  from  the  cup  of  her  kindness  may  strain 
A  drop  so  sufficing,  you'll  not  drink  again. 

'And  now  that  by  staring  with  mouth  and  eyes  open, 
Ye  have  bruised  the  reeds  that  already  were  broken  ; 
Go  home  and,  by  dint  of  strict  mental  inspection, 
Let  each  make  his  own  house  a  House  of  Correction," 

"  This  morceau  was  signed 


70 


PENITENTIARIES,  (fee. 


The  following  muster-roll  of  crime,  as  he  terms  it, 
which  he  obtained  from  the  master  of  the  prison,  is  curi 
ous,  as  it  exemplifies  the  excess  of  intemperance  in  the 
United  States — bearing  in  mind  that  this  is  the  moral 
state  of  Massachusetts. 

"The  whole  number  of  males  committed  to  this  House 
of  Correction  from  the  time  it  was  opened — July  1st,  1833, 
to  Sept.  1st,  1837,— was  1477.  Of  this  number  there 
were  common  drunkards,  783,  or  more  than  one-half. 

"  The  whole  amount  of  females  committed  to  this  insti 
tution  from  the  time  it  was  opened  to  Sept.  1837,  was  869. 
Of  this  number  there  were  common  drunkards  430,  very 
nearly  one-half. 

"  And  of  the  whole  number  committed  there  were — 


Natives  of  Massachusetts. .    720 

New  Hampshire 175 

Maine 130 

Vermont 17 

Rhode  Island 35 

Connecticut 28 

New  York 50 

New  Jersey 3 

Pennsylvania 28 

Delaware 6 

Maryland 10 

Virginia 20 

North  Carolina 10 

South  Carolina 1 

Georgia 5 

District  Columbia 3 

United  States 1241 

Moral  States 1005 

Other  States ..  .    236 


England 104 

Scotland 38 

Ireland    839 

Provinces 69 

France 10 

Spain 2 

Germany .. 

Holland 2 

Poland 2 

Denmark , .  . .  2 

Prussia 1 

Sweden 8 

West  Indies 12 

Cape  de  Verds 

Island  of  Malta 1 

At  Sea 7 

Foreigners 1100 

Unknown . .                    ....  5 


Total, 


234G 


He  sums  up  as  follows  : — 

"I  have  nearly  finished,  but  I  should  not  do  justice  to 
my  subject  did  I  admit  to  avert  to  the  beggarly  catch-pen 
ny  system  on  which  the  whole  concern  is  conducted.  The 
convicts  raise  pork  and  vegetables  in  plenty,  but  they  must 
not  eat  thereof;  these  things  must  be  sent  to  market  to 


PENITENTIARIES,  &C.  71 

balance  the  debit  side  of  the  prison  ledger.  The  prisoners 
must  catch  cold  and  suffer  in  the  hospital,  and  the  wool 
and  stone  shops,  because  it  would  cost  something  to  erect 
comfortable  buildings.  They  must  not  learn  to  read  and 
write,  lest  a  cent's  worth  of  their  precious  time  should  be 
lost  to  the  city.  They  may  die  and  go  to  hell,  and  be 
damned,  for  a  resident  physician  and  chaplain  are  expen 
sive  articles.  They  may  be  dirty  ;  baths  would  cost  mo 
ney,  and  so  would  books.  I  believe  the  very  Bibles  and 
Almanacs  are  the  donation  of  the  Bible  and  Temperance 
Societies.  Every  thing  is  managed  with  an  eye  to  mo 
ney  making — the  comfort  or  reformation,  or  salvation,  of 
the  prisoners  are  minor  considerations.  Whose  fault  is 
this? 

"  The  fault,  most  frugal  public,  is  your  own.  You 
like  justice,  but  you  do  not  like  to  pay  for  it.  You  like 
to  see  a  clean,  orderly,  well-conducted  prison,  and,  as 
far  as  your  parsimony  will  permit,  such  is  the  House  of 
Correction.  With  all  its  faults,  it  is  still  a  valuable  in 
stitution.  It  holds  all,  it  harms  few,  and  reforms  some. 
It  looks  well,  for  the  most  has  been  made  of  matters.  If 
you  would  have  it  perfect  you  must  untie  your  purse- 
strings,  and  you  will  lose  nothing  by  it  in  the  end," 


ARMY. 


A  STANDING  army  is  so  adverse  to  the  institutions, 
and  so  offensive  to  the  people  of  a  democracy,  that,  were 
it  possible,  there  would  be  no  such  thing  as  American 
regular  troops  ;  but,  finding  it  impossible  to  do  without 
a  portion,  they  have  a  force  as  follows  : — 


General  Staff 13 

Medical   Department   76 

Pay  ditto   18 

Purchasing  ditto    3 

Corps  of  Engineers 28 

Topographical 10 

Ordnance   Department   ...  209 


Four  Regiments  of  Ar 
tillery  1,GUG 

Seven  Regiments  of  In 
fantry  3,118 

Recruits  and  Unattached  1,418 

Total   .      .   7,834 


T\vo  Regiments   of  Dra 
goons   1,335 

Of  which  military  force  the  privates  amount  to  only  5,652  men. 

This  is  very  insufficient,  even  to  distribute  among  the 
frontier  forts  as  a  check  to  the  Indians,  but  now  that  the 
Florida  war  has  so  long  occupied  the  troops,  these  out- 
posts  have  been  left  in  a  very  unprotected  state.  Isolated 
as  the  officers  are  from  the  world,  (for  these  forts  are 
far  removed  from  towns  or  cities,)  they  contrive  to  form 
a  society  within  themselves,  having  most  of  them  re- 
course  to  matrimony,  which  always  gives  a  man  some 
thing  to  do,  and  acts  as  a  fillip  upon  his  faculties,  which 
might  stagnate  from  such  quiet  monotony.  The  society, 
therefore,  at  these  outposts  is  small,  but  very  pleasant, 
All  the  officers  being  now  educated  at  West  Point,  they 
are  mostly  very  intelligent  and  well-informed,  and  sol- 
diers'  wives  are  always  agreeable  women  all  over  the 
world.  The  barracks  turn  out  also  a  very  fair  shew  of 
children  upon  the  green  sward.  The  accommodations 


ARM*.  73 

are,  generally  speaking,  very  good,  and  when  supplies 
can  be  received,  the  living  is  equally  so;  when  they 
cannot,  it  can't  be  helped,  and  there  is  so  much  money 
saved.  A  suttler's  store  is  attached  to  each  outpost,  and 
the  prices  of  the  articles  are  regulated  by  a  committee 
of  officers,  and  a  tax  is  also  levied  upon  the  suttler  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  men  in  the  garrison,  the 
proceeds  of  which  are  appropriated  to  the  education  of 
the  children  of  the  soldiers  and  the  provision  of  a  library 
and  news-room.  If  the  Government  were  to  permit 
officers  to  remain  at  any  one  station  for  a  certain  period, 
much  more  would  be  done  ;  but  the  Government  is  con 
tinually  shifting  them  from  post  to  post,  and  no  one  will 
take  the  trouble  to  sow  when  he  has  no  chance  of  reaping 
the  harvest.  Indeed,  many  of  the  officers  complained 
that  they  had  hardly  had  time  to  furnish  their  apart 
ments  in  one  fort  when  they  were  ordered  off  to  another — 
not  only  a  great  inconvenience  to  them,  but  a  great 
expense  also. 

The  American  army  is  not  a  favourite  service,  and 
this  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  It  is  illtreated  in  every 
way  ;  the  people  have  a  great  dislike  to  them,  which  is 
natural  enough  in  a  Democracy;  but  what  is  worse,  fo 
curry  favour  with  the  people,  the  Government  very  often 
do  not  support  the  officers  in  the  execution  of  their  duty. 
Their  furloughs  are  very  limited,  and  they  have  their 
choice  of  the  outposts,  where  they  live  out  of  the  world, 
or  the  Florida  war,  when  they  go  out  of  it.  But  the 
greatest  injustice  is,  that  they  have  no  half-pay  :  if  not 
wishing  to  be  employed,  they  must  resign  their  com 
missions  and  live  as  they  can.  In  this  point  there  is 
a  great  partiality  shewn  to  the  navy,  who  have  such 
excellent  half-pay,  although,  to  prevent  remarks  at  such 
glaring  injustice  to  the  other  service,  another  term  is 
given  to  the  naval  half-pay,  and  the  naval  officers  are- 
supposed  to  be  always  on  service. 

The  officers  of  the  army  are  paid  a  certain  sum,  and 
allowed  a  certain  number  of  rations  per  month  ;  for  in 
stance,  a  major-general  has  two  hundred  dollars  per 


74  ARMY. 

month,  and  fifteen  rations.  According  to  the  estimated 
value  of  the  rations,  as  given  to  me  by  one  of  the  officers, 
the  annual  pay  of  the  different  grades  will  be,  in  our 
money,  nearly  as  follows:— 


Army.  £. 

Major-General 850 

Brigadier-General. .......  570 

Colonel 340 

Lieutenant-Colonel 280 

Major  „    225 

Captain 200 

First  Lieutenant 150 

Second  LLutenant 140 

Cadet..  ..90 


Navy*  £< 

Same    rank 960 

Do 830 

Do 525 

Do.  ..380 


Do.    .  .  15H 


The  cavalry  officers  have  a  slight  increase  of  pay. 

The  privates  of  the  American  regular  army  are  not 
the  most  creditable  soldiers  in  the  world  ;  they  are  chiefly 
composed  of  Irish  emigrants,  Germans,  and  deserters 
from  the  English  regiments  in  Canada.  Americans  are 
very  rare ;  only  those  who  can  find  nothing  else  to  do, 
and  have  to  choose  between  enlistment  and  starvation, 
will  enter  into  the  American  army.  They  do  not,  how 
ever,  enlist  for  longer  than  three  years.  There  is  not 
much  discipline,  and  occasionally  a  great  deal  of  inso 
lence,  as  might  be  expected  from  such  a  collection.  Cor 
poral  punishment  has  been  abolished  in  the  American 
army  except  for  desertion  ;  and  if  ever  there  was  a  proof 
of  the  necessity  of  punishment  to  enforce  discipline,  it  is 
the  many  substitutes  in  lieu  of  it,  to  which  the  officers 
are  compelled  to  resort — all  of  them  more  severe  than 
flogging.  The  most  common  is  that  of  loading  a  man 
with  thirty-six  pounds  of  shot  in  his  knapsack,  and 
making  him  walk  three  hours  out  of  four,  day  and  night 
without  intermission,  with  this  weight  on  his  shoulders, 
for  six  days  and  six  nights  ;  that  is,  he  is  compelled  to 
walk  three  hours  with  the  weight,  and  then  is  suffered  to 
sit  down  one.  Towards  the  close  this  punishment  be 
comes  very  severe ;  the  feet  of  the  men  are  so  sore  and 
swelled,  that  they  cannot  move  for  some  days  afterwards. 


ARMY.  75 

I  enquired  what  would  be  the  consequence  if  a  man  were 
to  throw  down  his  knapsack  and  refuse  to  walk.  The 
commanding-officer  of  one  of  the  forts  replied,  that  he 
would  be  hung  up  by  his  thumbs  till  he  fainted — a 
variety  of  piquetting.  Surely  these  punishments  savour 
quite  as  much  of  severity,  and  are  quite  as  degrading  as 
flogging. 

The  pay  of  an  American  private  is  good — fourteen 
dollars  a  month,  out  of  which  his  rations  and  regimen 
tals  take  eight  dollars,  leaving  him  six  dollars  a  month 
for  pleasure.  Deserters  are  punished  by  being  made  to 
drag  a  heavy  ball  and  chain  after  them,  which  is  never 
removed  day  or  night.  If  discharged,  they  are  flogged, 
their  heads  shaved,  and  they  are  drummed  out  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet. 

From  the  conversations  I  have  had  with  many  desert 
ers  from  our  army,  who  were  residing  in  the  United 
States  or  were  in  the  American  service,  I  am  convinced 
that  it  would  be  a  very  well  judged  measure  to  offer  a  free 
pardon  to  all  those  who  would  return  to  Canada  and  re- 
enter  the  English  service.  I  think  that  a  good  effective 
regiment  would  soon  be  collected,  and  one  that  you 
might  trust  on  the  frontiers  without  any  fear  of  their  de 
serting  again ;  and  it  would  have  another  good  effect, 
which  is,  that  their  statements  would  prevent  the  deser* 
tion  of  others. 

America,  and  its  supposed  freedom,  is,  to  the  British 
soldiers,  an  Utopia  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  They 
revel  in  the  idea  ;  they  seek  it,  and  it  is  not  to  be  found. 
The  greatest  desertion  from  the  English  regiments  is 
among  the  musicians  composing  the  bands.  There  arc 
so  many  theatres  in  America,  and  so  few  musicians,  ex 
cept  coloured  people,  that  instrumental  performers  of  all 
kinds  are  in  great  demand.  People  are  sent  over  to 
Canada,  and  the  other  British  provinces,  to  pursuade 
these  poor  fellows  to  desert,  promising  them  very  large 
salaries,  and  pointing  out  to  them  the  difference  between 
being  a  gentleman  in  America  and  a  slave  in  the  Eng 
lish  service.  The  temptation  is  too  strong ;  they  desert  ; 

VOL.  ii— 7 


76  ARMY. 

and  when  they  arrive,  they  soon  learn  the  value  of  the 
promises  made  to  them,  and  find  how  cruelly  they  have 
been  deceived. 

The  Florida  war  has  been  a  source  of  dreadful  vexa 
tion  and  expense  to  the  United  States,  having  already 
cost  them  between  20,000,000  and  30,600,000  of  dol 
lars,  without  any  apparent  prospect  of  its  coming  to  a  sat 
isfactory  conclusion.  The  American  government  has 
also  very  much  injured  its  character,  by  the  treachery 
and  disregard  of  honour  shown  by  it  to  the  Indians,  who 
have  been,  most  of  them,  captured  under  a  flag  of  truce. 
I  have  heard  so  much  indignation  expressed  by  the 
Americans  themselves  at  this  conduct  that  I  shall  not 
comment  further  upon  it.  It  is  the  Federal  Government, 
and  not  the  officers  employed,  who  must  bear  the  onus. 
But  this  war  has  been  mortifying,  and  even  dangerous  to 
the  Americans  in  another  point.  It  has  now  lasted  three 
years  and  more.  General  after  general  has  been  super 
seded,  because  they  have  not  been  able  to  bring  it  to  a 
conclusion ;  and  the  Indians  have  proved,  to  themselves 
and  to  the  Americans,  that  they  can  defy  them  when  they 
once  get  them  among  the  swamps  and  morasses.  There 
has  not  been  one  hundred  Indians  killed,  although  many 
of  them  have  been  treacherously  kidnapped,  by  a  viola 
tion  of  honour  ;  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  United  States 
have  already  lost  one  thousand  men,  if  not  more,  in  this 
protracted  conflict. 

The  aggregate  force  under  General  Jessop,  in  Florida, 
in  November  1837,  was  stated  to  be  as  follows  : — 

Regulars 4,637 

Volunteers 4,078 

Seamen 100 

Indians 178 

8,893 

It  is  supposed  that  the  number  of  Indians,  remaining 
in  Florida  do  not  amount,  men,  women,  and  children,  to 


ARMY. 


77 


more  than  1,500;  and  General  Jessop  has  declared  to 
the  government  that  the  war  is  impracticable. 

MILITIA. — The  return  of  the  militia  of   the  United 
States,  for  the  year  1837,  is  as  follows  : — 

The  number  of  MILITIA  in  the  several  States  and  Territories,  ac 
cording  to  the  statement  of  George  Bomford,  Colonel  of  Ord 
nance,  dated  20th  November,  1837. 


States  and  Territories. 

Date 
of 
Return. 

Number 
of 
Militia. 

Maine  

1836 

42,468 

New  Hampshire  

1836 

27,473 

1836 

44,911 

1830 

14,808 

Mississippi  .               

1830 

13,724 

1830 

60,982 

Vermont  .  .         .  .  .  . 

1824 

25,581 

Rhode  Island  

1832 

1,377 

Connecticut  

1836 

23,826 

1836 

184,728 

New  Jersey  

1829 

39,171 

1834 

202,281 

Delaware  

1827 

9,229 

Maryland  

1836 

46,854 

1836 

101,838 

1835 

64,415 

1833 

51,112 

1834 

48,461 

1829 

14,892 

1836 

71  483 

Ohio  

1836 

146  428 

Indiana  

1833 

53  913 

Illinois  

1831 

27,386 

Missouri   

1835 

6,170 

1825 

2,028 

1831 

5478 

1831 

827 

Wisconsin  Territory  

none 

District  of  Columbia  

1832 

1,249 

1,333,091 

78  ARMY. 

This  is  an  enormous  force,  but  at  the  commencement 
of  a  war  not  a  very  effective  one.  In  fact,  there  is  no 
country  in  the  world  so  defenceless  and  so  unprepared 
for  war  as  the  United  States,  but,  once  roused  up,  no 
country  more  formidable  if  any  attempt  is  made  to  in 
vade  its  territories.  At  the  outbreak  of  a  war,  the  States 
have  almost  everything  to  provide;  and  although  the 
Americans  are  well  adapted  as  materials  for  soldiers,  still 
they  have  to  be  levied  and  disciplined.  At  the  com 
mencement  of  hostilities,  it  is  not  improbable  that  a 
well-organized  force  of  30,000  men  might  walk  through 
the  whole  of  the  Union,  from  Maine  to  Georgia  ;  but  it 
is  almost  certain  that  not  one  man  would  ever  get  back 
again,  as  by  that  time  the  people  would  have  been  roused 
and  excited,  armed  and  sufficiently  disciplined  ;  and  their 
numbers,  independent  of  their  bravery,  would  overwhelm 
three  or  four  times  the  number  I  have  mentioned. 

Another  point  must  not  pass  unnoticed,  which  is  that 
in  America,  the  major  part  of  which  is  still  an  uncleared 
country,  the  system  of  warfare  naturally  partakes  much 
of  the  Indian  practices  of  surprise  and  ambuscade  ;  and 
the  invaders  will  always  have  to  labour  under  great  disad 
vantage  of  the  Americans  having  that  perfect  knowledge  of 
the  country  which  the  former  have  not. 

•  Most  of  the  defeats  of  the  British  troops  have  been  oc 
casioned  by  this  advantage  on  the  part  of  the  Americans, 
added  to  the  impracticability  of  the  country  rendering  the 
superior  discipline  of  the  British  of  no  avail.  Indeed 
the  great  advantage  of  knowing  the  country  were  proved 
by  the  American  attempts  to  invade  Canada  during  the 
last  war,  and  which  ended  in  the  capitulation  of  General 
Hull.  In  an  uncleared  country,  even  where  large  forces 
meet,  each  man,  to  a  certian  degree,  acts  independently, 
taking  his  position,  perhaps,  behind  a  tree  (treeing  it,  as 
they  term  it  in  America),  or  any  other  defence  which  may 
offer.  Now,  it  is  evident  that,  skilled  as  all  the  Americans 
are  in  fire-arms,  and  generally  using  rifles,  a  disciplined 
English  soldier,  with  his  clumsy  musket,  fights  at  a  dis 
advantage  ;  and,  therefore,  with  due  submission  to  his 
Grace,  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  very  wrong  when  he 


ARMY.  79 

stated,  the  other  day  in  the  House  of  Lords,  that  the 
militia  of  Canada  should  be  disbanded,  and  their  place 
supplied  by  regular  troops  from  England.  The  militia  of 
Upper  Canada  are  quite  as  good  men  as  the  Americans, 
and  can  meet  them  after  their  own  fashion.  A  certain 
proportion  of  regulars  are  advantageous,  as  they  are  more 
steady,  and  in  case  of  a  check  can  be  more  depended 
upon  ;  but  it  is  not  once  in  five  times  that  they  will,  either 
in  America  or  Canada,  be  able  to  bring  their  concentrated 
discipline  into  play.  But  if  the  Americans  have  not  the 
discipline  of  our  troops,  their  courage  is  undoubted,  and 
even  upon  a  clear  plain  the  palm  of  victory  will  always  be 
severely  disputed.  A  Vermonter,  surprised  for  a  moment 
at  finding  himself  in  a  charge  of  bayonents  with  the  Eng 
lish  troops,  eyed  his  opponents,  and  said,  "  Well,  I  cal 
culate  my  piece  of  iron  is  as  good  as  yourn,  anyhow," 
and  then  rushed  to  the  attack.  People  who  "calculate" 
m  that  way  are  not  to  be  trifled  with,  as  the  annals  of  his 
tory  fully  demonstrate. 

A  war  between  America  and  England  is  always  to  be  de 
precated.  Notwithstanding  that  the  countries  are  severed, 
still  the  Americans  are  our  descendants  ;  they  speak  the 
same  language ;  and  (although  they  do  not  readily  admit 
it)  still  look  up  to  us  as  their  mother  country.  It  is  true 
that  this  feeling  is  fast  wearing  away,  but  still  it  is  not 
yet  effaced.  It  is  true  also  that,  in  their  ambition  and 
their  covetousness,  they  would  destroy  the  mutual  ad 
vantages  derived  by  both  countries  from  our  commercial 
relations,  that  they  might,  by  manufacturing  as  well  as 
producing,  secure  the  whole  profits  to  themselves.  But 
they  are  wrong ;  for,  great  as  America  is  becoming,  the 
time  is  not  yet  arrived  when  she  can  compete  with  English 
capital,  or  work  for  herself  without  it.  But  there  is 
another  reason  why  a  war  between  the  two  countries  is 
so  much  to  be  deprecated,  which  is,  that  it  must  ever  be 
a  cruel  and  an  irritating  war.  To  attack  the  Americans  by 
invasion  will  always  be  hazardous,  and  must  ultimately 
prove  disastrous.  In  what  manner,  then,  is  England  to 
avenge  any  aggression  that  may  be  committed  by  the 
Americans?  Ail  she  can  do  is  to  ravage,  burn>anades- 
7« 


80  ARMY. 

troy ;  to  carry  the  horrors  of  war  along  their  whole  ex 
tended  line  of  coast,  distressing  the  non-combatants,  and 
wreaking  vengeance  upon  the  defenceless. 

Dreadful  to  contemplate  as  this  is,  and  even  more  dread 
ful  the  system  of  stimulating  the  Indian  tribes  to  join  us, 
adding  scalping,  and  murdering  of  women  and  children, 
to  other  horrors,  still  it  is  the  only  method  to  which  Eng 
land  could  resort,  and,  indeed,  a  method  to  which  she 
would  be  warranted  to  resort,  in  her  own  behoof.  More 
over,  in  case  of  a  future  war,  England  must  not  allow  it 
to  be  of  sueh  short  duration  as  was  the  last ;  the  Ameri 
cans  must  be  made  to  feel  it,  by  its  being  protracted  until 
their  commerce  is  totally  annihilated,  and  their  expenses 
are  increased  in  proportion  with  the  decrease  of  their 
means. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  England  would  harass  the 
coasts  of  America,  or  raise  the  Indian  tribes  against  her, 
from  any  feeling  of  malevolence,  or  any  pleasure  in  the 
sufferings  wrhich  must  ensue.  It  would  be  from  the 
knowledge  of  the  fact  that  money  is  the  sinews  of  war 
and  consequently  that,  by  obliging  the  Americans  to  call 
out  so  large  a  force  as  she  must  do  to  defend  her  coast 
and  to  repel  the  Indians,  she  would  be  put  to  such  an 
enormous  expense,  as  would  be  severely  felt  throughout 
the  Union,  and  soon  incline  all  parties  to  a  cessation  of 
hostilities.  It  is  to  touch  their  pockets  that  this  plan 
must  and  will  be  resorted  to ;  and  a  war  carried  on  upon 
that  plan  alone,  would  prove  a  salutary  lesson  to  a  young 
and  too  ambitious  a  people.  Let  the  Americans  recollect 
the  madness  of  joy  with  which  the  hats  and  caps  were 
thrown  up  in  the  air  at  New  York,  when,  even  after  so 
short  a  war  with  England,  they  heard  that  the  treaty  of 
peace  had  been  concluded  ;  and  that  too  at  a  time  when 
England  was  so  occupied  in  a  contest,  it  may  be  said, 
with  the  whole  world,  that  she  could  hardly  divert  a  por 
tion  of  her  strength  to  act  against  America  :  then  let  them 
reflect  how  sanguinary,  how  injurious,  a  protracted  war 
with  England  would  be,  when  she  could  direct  her  whole 
force  against  them.  It  is,  however,  useless  to  ask  a  people 
o  reflect  who  are  governed  and  ruled  by  the  portion  who 


ARMY.  8i 


will  not  reflect.  The  forbearance  must  be  on  our  part ; 
and,  for  the  sake  of  humanity,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  we 
shall  be  magnanimous  enough  to  forbear,  for  so  long  as 
may  be  consistent  with  the  maintenance  of  our  national 
honour. 


82 


AMERICAN  MARINE. 

IT  may  be  inferred  that  I  naturally  directed  my  atten 
tion  to  every  thing  connected  with  the  American  marine, 
and  circumstances  eventually  induced  me  to  search  much 
more  minutely  into  particulars  than  at  first  I  had  intend 
ed  to  do. 

The  present  force  of  the  American  navy  is  rated  as 
folio w§ : — 

Ships  of  the  Line. 

Of  120  guns 1 

80  guns 7 

74  guns 3 

Total 11 

Frigates,  let  Class. 

Of  54  guns 1 

44  guns „ 14 

Total IS 

Frigates,  Zd  Class. 

Of  36  guns 2 

Sloops. 

Of  20  guns 12 

18  guns 3 

Total 15 

Schooners. 

Of  10  guns 6 

Others   7 

Total 13 

Grand  Total  . ,  . .  5& 


AMERICAN  MARINE. 


8g 


NAVY  LIST. 
Vessels  of  War  of  the  United  States  Navy,  September,  1837. 


Name  and  Rate.        Where  and  when  built      Where  employed. 


Ships  of  the  Line. 

GUNS,  j 

Franklin    74;  Philadelphia  . 

Washington 74  Portsmouth,  N, 


1815 

H. 

1816 
.  1819 


In  ordinary  at  New- 


York. 
Ditto 


ditto. 


Columbus 74i  Washington    . 

Ohio 80;  New  York 1820 

North  Carolina  . .  80;  Philadelphia  . , 


At  Boston  (repaired.) 


Delaware 80:  Gosport 

Alabama 80 


Vermont  . . .  . 
Virginia  . . .  . 
New  York  .  . 
Pennsylvania 


..    80 
!   80 
..   80 
..  120;  Philadelphia  .  . 


Ditto         ditto. 
1820^  commission  (Pa 
cific). 

18201  At  Norfolk  (repaired.) 
1  On  stocks  at  Ports 
mouth,  N.  H. 
Ditto     at  Boston. 
Ditto         ditto. 
On  stocks,  at  Norfolk. 


1837 


Frigates,  1st  Class,    j 

Independence 54|  Boston J  8 14i  On  the  coast  of  Brazil. 

United  States  ....  44|  Philadelphia  ...  1797  T  '"   " 


At  Philadelphia. 


Constitution  ....  44j  Boston 1787 

Guerriere 44'  Philadelphia 

Java 44;  Baltimore  .  . 

Potomac    44!  Washington 

Brandywine  ....    44  Washington 


Hudson 44 


Columbia 


i  ! 


Purchased 


In  commission  (Medi 
terranean.) 
Ditto         ditto. 

1814  In  ordinary,  Norfolk. 

1814|  Receiving  ship,  ditto, 

1821;  In  ordinary  at  ditto. 

1825 1     Ditto.         ditto. 

1826  Receiving  vessel  at 
New  York. 


Santee .   44,  -, 


Washington  . .  .  1836 


Cumberland  ....  44 

Sabine 44' 

Savannah ,  44 

Raritan 44 

St.  Lawrence. .  , .  44 


In  ordinary,  Norfolk. 

On  stocks,  at  Ports 
mouth,  N.  H. 

Ditto  at  Boston. 

Ditto  at  New  York. 
.Ditto        ditto. 
|  Ditto  at  Philadelphia. 

Ditto  at  Norfolk. 


Frigates,  %d  Class. 

| 
Constellation  , ,  T  ,  36'  Baltimore 1797JIn  commission (W 


AMERICAN  MARINE. 


Navy  List — (continued.) 


Name  and  Rate. 

When  and  where  built 

Where  employed. 

GUNS. 

Macedonian  ....  36 
Sloops  of  War. 
John  Adams      .      20 

Norfolk  (rebuilt)  1836 

Norfolk  (rebuilt)  1820 
Boston  (rebuilding)  .  . 
Boston       ....   1825 

Ready  for  sea  at  Nor. 

Ready  for  sea  at  N.  Y. 

At  sea. 
At  sea. 
In  ordinary,  Norfolk. 
Ditto         ditto. 
In  commission  (W.  I.) 
At  sea. 
On  the  coast  of  Brazil. 
In  commission  (West 
Indies.) 
Ditto.         ditto. 
Ditto         ditto. 
At  Boston. 
At  sea. 

In  ordinary,  Norfolk. 

On  the  coast  of  Brazil  . 
In  commission  (West 
Indies.) 
In  the  Mediterranean, 
In  commission  (East 
Indies.) 
In  the  Pacific. 
1  Atlantic  coast. 
Employed  near  N.  Y. 
At    Baltimore    (con 
demned.) 
Receiving    vessel    at 
Philadelphia. 

1 
1  New  York  (nearly 
f      ready  for  sea.) 

Cyane   20 

Boston                      20 

New  York  1825 
New  York  1826 
Boston  1826 

Vincennes  .  .    .    .20 

Warren                    20 

Natchez  20 

Norfolk       .    .  .  1827 

Fal  mouth  .  .            20 

Boston  1827 

Fail-field  ...            20 

New  York  1828 
Philadelphia  .  .   1828 

Washington  .  .  1828 
Portsmouth  ...  1828 
N.York  (rebuilt)  1820 
Baltimore   ]813 

New  York  1813 

Philadelphia  .  .   1821 
Washington  .  .    1821 

Washington  .  .  1821 
New  York  1831 

Boston  .           .    1831 

Vandalia  20 

St.  Louis  20 
Concord  ...         .20 

Erie  18 

Ontario  18 

Peacock  18 

Schooners,  fyc. 
Dolphin  10 

Grampus   10 

Shark  ...              10 

Enterprise  10 

Boxer  .                     10 

Porpoise  .  .               10  Boston  1836 

Experiment  ....      4 
Fox  (hulk)     3 

Sea  Gull  (galliot)  .  .  . 
Exploring  Vessels. 
Relief  

Washington  .  .  1831 
Purchased  1823 

Purchased  1823 

Philadelphia  ...  1836 
Boston            .  .  1836 

Barque  Pioneer  
Barque  Consort  
Schooner  Active  .... 

Boston         ....  1836 

Purchased  1837 

AMERICAN  MARINE.  85 

The  rating  of  these  vessels  will,  however,  very  much 
mislead  people  as  to  the  real  strength  of  the  armament. 
The  74's  and  80's  are  in  weight  of  broadside  equal  to 
most  three-decked  ships  ;  the  first-classed  frigates  are 
double-banked  of  the  scantling,  and  carrying  the  com 
plement  of  men  of  our  74's.  The  sloops  are  equally 
powerful  in  proportion  to  their  ratings,  most  of  them  car 
rying  long  guns.  Although  flush  vessels,  they  are  little 
inferior  to  a  36-gun  frigate  in  scantling,  and  are  much  too 
powerful  for  any  that  we  have  in  our  service,  under  tha 
same  denomination  of  rating.  All  the  line-of-battle  ships 
are  named  after  the  several  States,  the  frigates  after  the 
principal  rivers,  and  the  sloops  of  war  after  the  towns,  or 
titiest  and  the  names  are  decided  by  lot. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  be  struck  with  the  beautiful 
architecture  in  most  of  these  vessels.  The  Pennsylvania, 
rated  120  guns,  on  four  decks,  carrying  140,  is  not  by  any 
means  so  perfect  as  some  of  the  line-of-battle  ships.*  The 
Ohio  is  as  far  as  I  am  a  judge,  the  perfection  of  a  ship  of 

*  The  following  are  the  dimensions  given  me  of  the  ship  of  the 

line  Pennsylvania  : — 

feet  laches. 

In  extreme  length  over  all 237 

Between  the  perpendiculars  on  the  lower  gun  deck  220 

Length  of  keel  for  tonnage 190 

Moulded   breadth  of  beam 56     9 

do.  do.  from  tonnage 57      6 

Extreme  breadth  of  beam  outside  the  wales. ...      59 

Depth  of  lower  hold 23 

Extreme  depth  amidships 51 

Burthen  3366  tons,  and  has  ports  for  140  guns,  all  long  thirty. 

two  pounders,  throwing  2240  pounds  of  ball  at  each  broadside,  or 

4480  pounds  from  the  whole. 

Her  mainmast  from  the  step  to  the  truck 278 

Main-yard 110 

Main-topsail  yard 82 

Main-top-gallant  yard 52 

Main-royal  yard 36 

Size  of  lower  shrouds 0   11 

Do.  of  Mainstay 0   19 

Do.  of  sheet-cable 0  25 

The  sheet  anchor,  made  at  Washington,  weighs  1 1^660  pound*. 


86  AMERICAN   MARINE. 

the  line.  But  in  every  class  you  cannot  but  admire  the 
superiority  of  the  models  and  workmanship.  The  dock 
yards  in  America  are  small,  and  not  equal  at  present  to 
what  may  eventually  be  required,  but  they  have  land  to 
add  to  them  if  necessary.  There  certainly  is  no  necessity 
for  such  establishments  or  such  storehouses  as  we  have, 
as  their  timber  and  hemp  are  at  hand  when  required  ;  but 
they  are  very  deficient  both  in  dry  and  wet  docks.  Pro 
perly  speaking,  they  have  no  great  naval  depot  This 
arises  from  the  jealous  feeling  existing  between  the  several 
States.  A  bill  brought  into  Congress  to  expend  so  many 
thousand  dollars  upon  the  dock-yard  at  Boston,  in  Massa 
chusetts,  would  be  immediately  opposed  by  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  an  amendment  proposed  to  transfer  the 
works  intended  to  their  dock-yard  at  Brooklyn.  The  other 
States  which  possess  dock-yards  would  also  assert  their 
right,  and  thus  they  will  all  fight  for  their  respective  esta- 

Main-topsail  contains  1,531  yards. 

The  number  of  yards  of  canvass  for  one  suit  of  sails  is  18,341, 
and  for  bags,  hammocks,  boat-sails,  awnings,  &c.,  14,624; — total 
32,965  yards. 

The  Americans  considered  that  in  the  Pennsylvania  they  possessed 
the  largest  vessel  in  the  world,  but  this  is  a  great  mistake  ;  one  of 
the  Sultan's  three-deckers  is  larger.  Below  are  the  dimension*  of 
the  Queen,  lately  launched  at  Portsmouth  ; — 

feet,  inches. 

Length  on  the  gun-deck 204  0 

Do.  of  Keel  for  tonnage 166  5 

Breadth  extreme 60  0 

Do.  for  tonnage 59  2 

Depth  in  bold 23  8 

Burden  in  tons  (No.  3,099) 

Extreme  length  aloft 247  6 

Extreme  height  forward 56  4 

Do.  midships 50  8 

Do.  abaft 62  6 

Launching  draught  of  water,  forward 14  1 

Do.  abaft 19  0 

Height  from  deck  to  deck,  gun-deck 7  3 

Do.  middle-deck 7  0 

Do.  main-deck 7  tt 


AMERICAN    MARINE.  87 

blishments  until  the  bill  is  lost,  and  the  bone  of  contention 
falls  to  the  ground.* 

It  is  remarkable  that  along  the  whole  of  the  eastern  coast 
of  America,  from  Halifax  in  Nova  Scotia  down  to  Pen- 
sacola  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  there  is  not  one  good  open 
harbour.  The  majority  of  the  American  harbours  are 
barred  at  the  entrance,  so  as  to  preclude  a  lleet  running 
out  and  in  to  manoeuvre  at  pleasure  ;  indeed,  if  the  tide 
does  not  serve,  there  are  few  of  them  in  which  a  line-of- 
battle  ship,  hard  pressed,  could  take  refuge.  A  good 
spacious  harbour,  easy  of  access,  like  that  of  Halifax  in 
Nova  Scotia,  is  one  of  the  few  advantages,  perhaps  the 
only  natural  advantage,  wanting  in  the  United  States. 

The  American  navy  list  is  as  follows : — 


Captains  or  Commodores... .    50 

Masters  Cammandant 50 

Lieutenants 279 

Surgeons 50 

Passed  Assistant-Surgeons.  ,  24 
Assistant-Surgeons. 33 


Passed  Midshipmen 181 

Midshipmen 227 

Sailing-Masters 27 

Sail-makers 25 

Boatswains 22 

Gunners 27 

Carpenters 26 


Pursers 45 

Chaplains 9 

*  There  are  seven  navy  yards  belonging  to,  and  occupied  for  the 
use  of,  the  United  States,  viz. — 

The  navy  yard  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  is  situated  on  an  island, 
contains  fifty  eight  acres,  cost  5,500  dollars. 

The  navy  yard  at  Charleston,  near  Boston,  is  situated  on  the  north 
side  of  Charles  river,  contains  thirty-four  acres,  and  cost  32,214  dolls. 

The  navy  yard  at  New  York  is  situated  on  Long  Island,  opposite 
New  York,  contains  forty  acres,  and  cost  40,000  dollars. 

The  navy  yard  at  Philadelphia  is  situated  on  the  Delaware  river, 
in  the  district  of  Southwark,  contains  eleven  acres  to  low-water 
mark,  and  cost  37,000  dollars. 

The  navy  yard  at  Washington,  in  the  district  of  Columbia,  is  situ 
ated  on  the  eastern  branch  of  the  river  Potomac,  contains  thirty- 
seven  acres,  and  cost  4,000  dallars.  In  this  yard  are  made  all  the 
anchors,  cables,  blocks,  and  almost  all  things  requisite  for  the  use  of 
the  navy  of  the  United  States. 

The  navy  yard  at  Portsmouth,  near  Norfolk  in  Virginia,  is  situated 
on  the  south  branch  cf  Elizabeth  river,  contains  sixteen  acres,  and 
cost  13,000  dollars. 

There  is  also  a  navy  yard  at  Pensacola,  in  Florida,  which  is 
merely  used  for  repairing  ships  on  the  West-India  station. 

VOL.  ii.— 8 


88  AMERICAN   MARINE. 

The  pay  of  these  officers  is  on  the  following  scale,  it 
must  be  observed,  that  they  do  not  use  the  term  "half- 
pay;"  but  when  unemployed  the  officers  are  either 
attached  to  the  various  dockyards  or  on  leave.  I  have 
reduced  the  sums  paid  into  English  money,  that  they  may 
be  better  understood  by  the  reader  : — 

Senior  captain,  on  service , £960 

On  leave  (i.  e.  half-pay) 730 

Captains,  squadron  service 839 

Navy -yard  and  other  duty  (half-pay) 730 

Off  duty  (ditto) .525 

Commanders  on  service 525 

Navy-yard  and  other  duty  (half-pay) 440 

On  leave  (ditto) 380 

Lieutenants  commanding 380 

Navy-yard  and  other  duty  (half-pay) 315 

Waiting  orders  (ditto) 250 

Surgeons,  according  to  their  length  of  servitude,  from 210 

To 500 

And  half-pay  in  proportion. 

Assistant  surgeons  from 200 

To 250 

Chaplains ;  sea  service 250 

.     On  leave  (half-pay) 170 

Passed  midshipmen,  duty • . , 156 

Waiting  orders  (half-pay) 125 

Midshipmen  ;  sea  service 33 

Navy-yard  and  other  duty  (half-pay)! ! ! 72 

Leave  (ditto) !  ! 63 

Sailing  masters;  ships  of  the  line 228 

Other  duty  (half-pay) 209 

Leave  (ditto) 156 

Boatswains,  carpenters,  sailmakers,  &  gunners ;  ships  of  the  line  156 

Frigate 125 

Other  duty  (half-pay) 105 

On  leave  (ditto) 75 

It  will  be  perceived  by  the  above  list  how  very  much 
better  all  classes  in  the  American  service  are  paid  in  com 
parison  with  those  in  our  service.  But  let  it  not  be  sup 
posed  that  this  liberality  is  a  matter  of  choice  OH  the  part 
of  the  American  Government ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  one 
of  necessity.  There  never  was,  nor  never  will  be,  any 
thing  like  liberality  under  a  democratic  form  of  govern- 


AMERICAN    MARINE. 


89 


liient.  The  navy  is  a  favourite  service,  it  is  true,  but  the 
officers  of  the  American  navy  have  not  one  cent  more  than 
they  are  entitled  to,  or  than  they  absolutely  require.  In  a 
country  like  America,  where  any  one  may  by  industry,  in 
a  few  years,  become  an  independent,  if  not  a  wealthy  man, 
it  would  be  impossible  for  the  Government  to  procure  offi 
cers  if  they  were  not  tolerably  paid;  no  parents  would 
permit  their  children  to  enter  the  service  unless  they  were 
enabled  by  their  allowances  to  keep  up  a  respectable  ap 
pearance  ;  and  in  America  every  thing,  to  the  annuitant 
or  person  not  making  money,  but  living  upon  his  income, 
is  much  dearer  than  with  us.  The  Government,  there 
fore,  are  obliged  to  pay  them,  or  young  men  would  not 
embark  in  the  profession  ;  for  it  is  not  in  America  as  it  is 
with  us,  where  every  department  is  filled  up,  and  no  room 
is  left  for  those  who  would  crowd  in  ;  so  that  in  the  ea 
gerness  to  obtain  respectable  employment,  emolument 
becomes  a  secondary  consideration.  It  may,  however,  be 
worth  while  to  put  in  juxtaposition  the  half-pay  paid  to 
officers  of  corresponding  ranks  in  the  two  navies  of  Eng 
land  and  America : — 


Officers. 


America.  England. 


Half-pay  post-captains,  senior,  on  leave;  corres 
ponding  to  commodore  or  rear-admiral  in  Eng 
land  

Post  captains  off  duty  (that  is,  duly  on  shore)  .  . 

On  leave 

Commanders  off  sea  duty 

In  yards  and  on  leave 

Lieutenants  ;  shore  duty 

Waiting  orders  or  on  leave  .... 

Passed  midshipmen,  full  pay 

Half-pay 

Midshipmen,  full  pay 

Half-pay 


£. 
730 
730 
2  5 
440 
380 
315 
250 
156 
125 
83 
63 


£. 

456 

191 
155 

90 
25 

0 
25 

0 


My  object  in  making  the  comparison  between  the  two 
services  is  not  to  gratify  an  invidious  feeling.  More  ex 
pensive  as  living  in  America  certainly  is,  still  the  dispro- 


90  AMERICAN    MARINE. 

portion  is  such  as  must  create  surprise;  and  if  it  requires? 
such  a  sum  for  an  American  officer  to  support  himself  in 
a  creditable  and  gentlemanlike  manner,  what  can  be  ex 
pected  from  the  English  officer  with  his  miserable  pit 
tance,  which  is  totally  inadequate  to  his  rank  and  station  ? 
Notwithstanding  which,  our  officers  do  keep  up  their  ap 
pearance  as  gentlemen,  and  those  who  have  no  half-pay 
are  obliged  to  support  themselves.  And  I  point  this  out, 
that  when  Mr.  Hume  and  other  gentlemen  clamour  against 
the  expense  of  our  naval  force,  they  may  not  be  ignorant 
of  one  fact,  which  is.  that  not  only  on  half-pay,  but  when 
on  active  service,  a  moiety  at  least  of  the  expenses  neces 
sarily  incurred  by  our  officers  to  support  themselves  ac 
cording  to  their  rank,  to  entertain,  and  to  keep  their  ships 
in  proper  order,  is,  three  times  out  of  four,  paid  out  of 
their  own  pockets,  or  those  of  their  relatives  ;  and  that  is 
always  done  without  complaint,  as  long  as  they  are  not 
checked  in  their  legitimate  claims  to  promotion. 

In  the  course  of  his  employment  in  the  Mediterranean. 
one  of  our  captains  was  at  Palermo.  The  American  com 
modore  was  there  at  the  time,  and  the  latter  gave  most 
sumptuous  balls  and  entertainments.  Being  very  intimate 
with  each  other,  our  English  captain  said  to  him  one  day, 
"  I  cannot  imagine  how  you  can  afford  to  give  such  par 
ties  ;  1  only  know  that  I  cannot ;  my  year's  pay  would 
be  all  exhausted  in  a  fortnight."  "  My  dear  fellow,"  re 
plied  the  American  commodore,  "  do  you  suppose  that  I 
am  so  foolish  as  to  go  to  such  an  expense,  or  to  spend  my 
pay  in  this  manner  ;  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  them  ex 
cept  to  give  them.  My  purser  provides  every  thing,  and 
keeps  a^regular  account,  which  I  sign  as  correct,  and  send 
home  to  government,  which  defrays  the  whole  expenses, 
under  the  head  of  Conciliation  Money,"  I  do  not  mean 
to  say  that  this  is  requisite  in  our  service  ;  but  still  it  is 
not  fair  to  refuse  to  provide  us  with  paint  and  other  arti 
cles,  such  as  leather,  &c.,  necessary  to  fit  out  our  ships  ; 
thus,  either  compelling  us  to  pay  for  them  out  of  our  own 
pockets,  or  allowing  the  vessels  under  our  command  to 
look  like  any  thing  but  men-of-war,  and  to  be  styled,  very 
truly,  a  disgrace  to  the  service.  Yet  such  is  the  well- 
known  fact.  And  I  am  informed  that  the  reason  why  our 


AMERICAN    MARINE.  91 

Admiralty  will  not  permit  these  necessary  stores  to  be  sup 
plied  is  that,  as  one  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  was 
known  to  say,  "  if  we  do  not  provide  them,  Ihe  captains 
most  assuredly  will,  therefore  let  us  save  the  Government 
the  expense.'' 

During  my  sojourn  in  the  United  States  I  became  ac 
quainted  with  a  large  portion  of  the  senior  officers  of  the 
American  navy,  and  1  found  them  gifted,  gentleman-like, 
and  liberal.  With  them  I  could  converse  freely  upon 
all  points  relative  to  the  last  war,  and  always  found 
them  ready  to  admit  all  that  could  be  expected.  The 
American  naval  officers  certainly  form  a  strong  contrast 
to  the  majority  of  their  countrymen,  and  prove,  by  their 
enlightened  and  liberal  ideas,  how  much  the  Americans, 
in  general,  would  be  improved  if  they  enjoyed  the  same 
means  of  comparison  with  other  countries  which  the 
naval  officers,  by  their  profession,  have  obtained.  Their 
partial  successes  during  the  late  war  were  often  Ihe 
theme  of  discourse,  which  was  conducted  with  candour 
and  frankness  on  both  sides.  No  unpleasant  feeling  was 
ever  excited  by  any  argument  with  them  on  the  subject, 
whilst  the  question,  raised  amongst  their  "  free  and  en 
lightened"  brother  citizens,  who  knew  nothing  of  the 
matter,  was  certain  to  bring  down  upon  me  such  a  torrent 
of  bombast,  falsehood,  and  ignorance,  as  required  all  my 
philosophy  to  submit  to  with  apparent  indifference.  But 
I  must  now  take  my  leave  of  the  American  navy,  and 
notice  their  merchant  marine. 

Before  I  went  to  the  United  Slates  I  was  aware  that  a 
large  proportion  of  our  seamen  were  in  their  employ.  I 
knew  that  the  whole  line  of  packets,  which  is  very  ex 
tensive,  was  manned  by  British  seamen  ;  but  it  was  not 
until  I  arrived  in  the  States  that  I  discovered  the  real 
state  of  the  case. 

During  my  occasional  residence  at  New  York,  I  was 
surprised  to  find  myself  so  constantly  called  upon  by 
English  seamen,  who  had  served  under  me  in  the  different 
ships  I  had  commanded  since  the  Peace.  Every  day 
seven  or  eight  would  come,  touch  their  hats,  and  remind 
8* 


92  AMERICAN    MARINE. 

me  in  what  ships,  and  in  what  capacity,  they  had  done 
their  duty.  I  had  frequent  conversations  with  them,  and 
soon  discovered  that  their  own  expression,  "  We  are  all 
here,  sir,"  was  strictly  true.  To  the  why  and  the  where- 
fore,  the  answer  was  invariably  the  same — "  Eighteen 
dollars  a  month,  sir."  Some  of  them,  I  recollect,  told 
me  that  they  were  going  down  to  New  Orleans,  because 
the  sickly  season  was  coming  on  ;  and  that  during  the 
time  the  yellow  fever  raged  they  always  had  a  great  ad 
vance  of  wages,  receiving  sometimes  as  much  as  thirty 
dollars  per  month.  T  did  not  attempt  to  dissuade  them 
from  their  purpose  ;  they  were  just  as  right  to  risk  their 
lives  from  contagion  at  thirty  dollars  a  month,  as  to 
stand  and  he  fired  at  at  a  shilling  a  day.  The  circum 
stance  of  so  many  of  my  own  men  being  in  American 
ships,  and  their  assertion  that  there  were  no  other  sailors 
than  English  at  New  York,  induced  me  to  enter  very 
minutely  into  my  investigation,  of  which  the  following 
are  the  results  : — 

The  United  States,  correctly  speaking,  have  no  com 
mon  seamen,  or  seamen  bred  up  as  apprentices  before 
the  mast.  Indeed  a  little  reflection  will  show  how  un 
likely  it  is  that  they  ever  should  have ;  for  who  would 
submit  to  such  a  dog's  life  (as  at  the  best  it  is),  or  what 
parent  would  consent  that  his  children  should  wear  out 
an  existence  of  hardship  and  dependence  at  sea,  when 
he  could  so  easily  render  them  independent  on  shore  ? 
The  same  period  of  time  requisite  for  a  man  to  learn  his 
duty  as  an  able  seaman,  and  be  qualified  for  the  pittance 
of  eighteen  dollars  per  month,  would  be  sufficient  to 
establish  a  young  man  as  an  independent,  or  even  wealthy, 
landowner,  factor,  or  merchant.  That  there  are  classes 
in  America  who  do  go  to  sea  is  certain,  and  who  and 
what  these  are  I  shall  hereafter  point  out ;  but  it  may  be 
positively  asserted  that,  unless  by  escaping  from  their 
parents  at  an  early  age,  and  before  their  education  is 
complete,  they  become,  as  it  were,  lost,  there  is  in  the 
United  States  of  America  hardly  an  instance  of  a  white 
boy  being  sent  to  sea,  to  be  brought  up  as  a  foremast 
man. 


AMERICAN   MARINE.  93 

It  may  be  here  observed  that  there  is  a  wide  difference 
in  the  appearance  of  an  English  seaman  and  a  portion 
of  those  styling  themselves  American  seamen,  who  are 
to  be  seen  at  Liverpool  and  other  seaports ;  tall,  weedy, 
narrow-shouldered,  slovenly,  yet  still  athletic  men,  with 
their  knives  worn  in  a  sheath  outside  of  their  clothes,  and 
not  with  a  lanyard  round  them,  as  is  the  usual  custom 
of  English  seamen.  There  is,  I  grant,  a  great  difference 
in  their  appearance,  and  it  arises  from  the  circumstance  of 
those  men  having  been  continually  in  the  trade  to  New 
Orleans  and  the  South,  where  they  have  picked  up  the 
buccaneer  airs  and  customs  which  are  still  in  existence 
there ;  but  the  fact  is,  that,  though  altered  also  by  cli 
mate,  the  majority  of  them  were  Englishmen  born,  who 
served  their  first  apprenticeship  in  the  coasting  trade, 
but  left  it  at  an  early  age  for  America.  They  may  be 
considered  as  a  portion  of  the  emigrants  to  America, 
having  become  in  feeling,  as  well  as  in  other  respects, 
bond  fide  Americans. 

The  whole  amount  of  tonnage  of  the  American  mer 
cantile  marine  may  be  taken,  in  round  numbers,  at 
12,000,000  tons,  which  may  be  subdivided  as  follows  : 

REGISTERED. 

Tons. 

Foreign    trade 700,000 

Whale  fishery 130,000 

ENROLLED. 

Coasting  trade 920,000 

Steam    150,000 

Coast  fisheries 100,000 


Total  ....  2,000,000 

The  American  merchant  vessels  are  generally  sailed 
with  fewer  men  than  the  British.  We  calculate  five 
men  to  one  hundred  tons,  which  I  believe  to  be  about 
the  just  proportion.  Mr.  Carey,  in  his  work,  estimates 
the  proportion  of  seamen  in  American  vessels  to  be  4?  to 
every  one  hundred  tons,  and  I  shall  assume  his  calcula- 


94  AMERICAN  MARINE. 

tion  as  correct.     The  number  of  men  employed  in  the 
American  mercantile  navy  will  be  as  follows  : — 

Men. 

Foreign  trade 30,333 

Whale  fishery 5,000 

Coasting  trade 39,000 

Steam 6,500 

Coast  fisheries 4,333 


Total  .......  85,799 

And  now  I  will  submit,  from  the  examinations  I  have 
made,  the  proportions  of  American  and  British  seamen 
which  are  contained  in  this  aggregate  of  85,799  men. 

In  the  foreign  trade  we  have  to  deduct  the  masters  of 
the  ships,  the  mates,  and  the  boys  who  are  apprenticed 
to  learn  their  duty,  and  rise  to  mates  and  masters  (not 
to  serve  before  the  mast).  These  I  estimate  at — 

Masters     1,500 

Mates      3,000 

Apprentices 1,500 

Ditto,  coloured  men,  as  cooks, 

stewards,  &c 2,000 


Total 8,000 

which,  deducted  from  30,333,  will  leave  22,333  seamen 
in  the  foreign  trade,  who,  with  a  slight  intermixture  of 
Swedes,  Danes,  and,  more  rarely,  Americans,  may  be 
asserted  to  be  all  British  seamen. 

The  next  item  is  that  of  the  men  employed  in  the 
whale  fishery  ;  and,  as  near  as  I  can  ascertain  the  fact, 
the  proportions  are  two-thirds  Americans  to  one-third 
British.  The  total  is  5,633 ;  out  of  which  3,756  are 
Americans,  and  1,877  British  seamen. 

The  coasting  trade  employs  39,000  men  ;  but  only  a 
small  proportion  of  them  can  be  considered  as  seamen, 
as  it  embraces  all  the  internal  river  navigation. 

The  steam  navigation  employs  6,500  men,  of  whom 
of  course  not  one  in  ten  is  a  seaman. 

The  fisheries  for  cod  and  herring  employ  about  4, 333 


AMERICAN  MARINE.  95 

men  ;  they  are  a  mixture  of  Americans,  Nova  Scotians, 
and  British,  but  the  proportions  cannot  be  ascertained  ; 
it  is  supposed  that  about  one-half  are  British  subjects,  i. 
e.  2,166. 

When,  therefore,  I  estimate  that  the  Americans  employ 
at  least  thirty  thousand  of  our  seamen  in  their  service,  I 
do  not  think,  as  my  .subsequent  remarks  will  prove,  that 
I  am  at  all  overrating  the  case. 

The  questions  which  are  now  to  be  considered  are, 
the  nature  of  the  various  branches  in  which  the  seamen 
employed  in  the  American  marine  are  engaged,  and 
how  far  they  will  be  available  to  America  in  case  of  a 
war. 

The  coasting  trade  is  chiefly  composed  of  sloops, 
manned  by  two  or  three  men  and  boys.  The  captain  is 
invariably  part,  if  not  whole,  owner  of  the  vessel,  and 
those  employed  are  generally  his  sons,  who  work  for 
their  father,  or  some  emigrant  Irishmen,  who,  after  a 
few  months'  practice,  are  fully  equal  to  this  sort  of 
fresh-water  sailing.  From  the  coasting  trade,  therefore, 
America  would  gain  no  assistance.  Indeed,  the  majori 
ty  of  the  coasting  trade  is  so  confined  to  the  interior,  that 
it  would  not  receive  much  check  from  a  war  with  a  foreign 
country. 

The  coast  fisheries  might  afford  a  few  seamen,  but 
very  few  ;  certainly  not  the  number  of  men  required  to 
man  her  ships  of  war.  As  in  the  coasting  trade,  they 
are  mostly  owners  or  partners.  In  the  whale  fishery 
much  the  same  system  prevails ;  it  is  a  common  spec 
ulation  ;  and  the  men  embarking  stipulate  for  such  a 
proportion  of  the  fish  caught  as  their  share  of  the  profits. 
They  are  generally  well  to  do,  are  connected  together, 
and  are  the  least  likely  of  all  men  to  volunteer  on  board 
of  the  American  navy.  They  would  speculate  in  priva 
teers,  if  they  did  anything. 

From  steam  navigation,  of  course,  no  seaman  could  be 
obtained. 

Now,  as  all  service  is  voluntary,  it  is  evident  that  the 
only  chance  America  has  of  manning  her  navy  is  from  the 
thirty  thousand  British  seamen  in  her  employ,  the  other 


96  AMERICAN    MARINE* 

branches  of  navigation  either  not  producing  seamen,  or 
those  employed  in  them  being  too  independent  in  situa 
tion  to  serve  as  fore-mast  men.  When  I  was  at  the  dif 
ferent  sea-ports,  I  made  repeated  enquiries  as  to  the  fact, 
if  ever  a  lad  was  sent  to  sea  as  a  fore-mast  man,  and  I 
never  could  ascertain  that  it  ever  was  the  case.  Those 
who  are  sent  as  apprentices,  are  learning  their  duty  to  re 
ceive  the  rating  of  mates,  and  ultimately  fulfil  the  office  of 
captains  ;  and  it  may  here  be  remarked,  that  many  Ame 
ricans,  after  serving  as  captains  for  a  few  years,  return  on 
shore  and  become  opulent  merchants  ;  the  knowledge 
which  they  have  gained  during  their  maritime  career 
proving  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  them.  There  are  a 
number  of  free  black  and  coloured  lads  who  are  sent  to 
sea,  and  who,  eventually,  serve  as  stewards  and  cooks ; 
but  it  must  be  observed,  that  the  masters  and  mates  are 
not  people  who  will  enter  before  the  mast  and  submit  to 
the  rigorous  discipline  of  a  government  vessel,  and  the 
cooks  and  stewards  are  not  seamen ;  so  that  the  whole 
dependence  of  the  American  navy,  in  case  of  war,  is  upon 
the  British  seamen  who  are  employed  in  her  foreign  trade 
and  whale  fisheries,  and  in  her  men-of-war  in  commission 
during  the  peace. 

If  America  brings  up  none  of  her  people  to  a  seafaring 
life  before  the  mast,  now  that  her  population  is  upwards 
of  13,000,000,  still  less  likely  was  she  to  have  done  it 
when  her  population  was  less,  and  the  openings  to  wealth 
by  other  channels  were  greater :  from  whence  it  may  be 
fairly  inferred,  that,  during  our  continued  struggle  with 
France,  when  America  had  the  carrying  trade  in  her  hands, 
her  vessels  were  chiefly  manned  by  British  seamen  ;  and 
that  when  the  war  broke  out  between  the  two  countries, 
the  same  British  seamen  who  were  in  her  employ  man 
ned  her  ships  of  war  and  privateers.  It  may  be  surmised 
that  British  seamen  would  refuse  to  be  employed  against 
their  country.  Some  might;  but  their  is  no  character  so 
devoid  of  principle  as  the  British  sailor  and  soldier.  In 
Dibdin's  songs,  we  certainly  have  another  version,  "True 
to  his  country  and  king,"  &c.,  but  I  am  afraid  they  do 
not  deserve  it :  soldiers  and  sailors  are  mercenaries  ;  they 
risk  their  lives  for  money ;  it  is  their  trade  to  do  so ;  and 


AMERICAN    MARINE.  97 

if  they  can  get  higher  wages  they  never  consider  the  jus 
tice  of  the  cause,  or  whom  they  fight  for.  Now,  America 
is  a  country  peculiarly  favourable  for  those  who  have  little 
conscience  or  reflection ;  the  same  language  is  spoken 
there ;  the  wages  are  much  higher,  spirits  are  much 
cheaper,  and  the  fear  of  detection  or  punishment  is  trifling : 
nay,  there  is  none  ;  for  in  five  minutes  a  British  seaman 
may  be  made  a  bond-fide American  citizen,  and  of  course 
an  American  seaman.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that 
after  sailing  for  years  out  of  the  American  ports  in  Ame 
rican  vessels,  the  men,  in  case  of  war,  should  take  the 
oath  and  serve.  It  is  necessary  for  any  one  wanting  to 
become  an  American  citizen;  that  he  should  give  notice 
of  his  intention ;  his  notice  gives  him,  as  soon  as  he  has 
signed  his  declaration,  all  the  rights  of  an  American  citi 
zen,  excepting  that  of  voting  at  elections,  which  requires 
a  longer  time,  as  specified  in  each  State.  The  declara 
tion  is  as  follows  : — 

"  That  it  is  his  bond-fide  intention  to  become  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States,  and  to  renounce  for  ever  all  allegiance 
and  fidelity  to  any  foreign  power,  potentate,  state,  or 
sovereignty  whatever,  and  particularly  to  Victoria,  the 
Queen  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire 
land,  to  whom  he  is  now  a  subject."  Having  signed  this 
document,  and  it  being1  publicly  registered,  he  becomes  a 
citizen,  and  may  be  sworn  to  as  such  by  any  captain  of 
merchant  vessel  or  man-of-war,  if  it  be  required  that  he 
should  do  so. 

During  the  last  war  with  America,  the  Americans  hit 
upon  a  very  good  plan  as  regarded  the  English  seamen 
whom  they  had  captured  in  our  vessels.  In  the  day-time 
the  prison  doors  were  shut  and  the  prisoners  were  harshly 
treated  ;  but  at  night,  the  doors  were  left  open  :  the  con 
sequence  was,  that  the  prisoners  whom  they  had  taken 
added  to  their  strength,  for  the  men  walked  out,  and  en 
tered  on  board  of  their  men-of-war  and  privateers. 

This  fact  alone  proves  that  I  h^ve  not  been  too  severe 
in  my  remarks  upon  the  character  of  the  English  sea 
men  ;  and  since  our  seamen  prove  to  be  such  "  Dugald 
Dalgettys,"  it  is  to  be  hoped  that,  should  we  be  so  un 
fortunate  as  again  to  come  in  collision  with  America,  the 
same  plan  may  be  adopted  in  this  country. 


S8  AMERICAN    MARINE. 

Now,  from  the  above  remarks,  three  points  are  clearly 
deducible : — 

1.  That  America  always  has  obtained,  and  for  a  long 
period  to  come  will  obtain,  her  seamen  altogether  from 
Great  Britain ; 

2.  That  those  seamen  can  be  naturalized  immediately, 
and  become  American  seamen  by  law  ; 

3.  That,  under  present  circumstances,  England  is  un 
der  the  necessity  of  raising  seamen,  not  only  for  her  own 
navy,  but  also  for  the  Americans ;  and  that,  in  proportion 
as  the  commerce  and  shipping  of  America  shall  increase, 
so  will  the  demand  upon  us  become  more  onerous  ;  and 
that  should  we  fail  in  producing  the  number  of  seamen 
necessary  for  both  services,  the  Americans  will  always 
be  full  manned,  whilst  any  defalcation  must  fall  upon  our 
selves. 

And  it  may  be  added,  that,  in  all  cases,  the  Americans 
have  the  choice  and  refusal  of  our  men ;  and,  therefore, 
they  have  invariably  all  the  prime  and  best  seamen  which 
we  have  raised. 

The  cause  of  this  is  as  simple  as  it  is  notorious ;  it  is 
the  difference  between  the  wages  paid  in  the  navies  and 
merchant  vessels  of  the  two  nations  : — 

£.  s.     £.  s. 

American  ships  per  month 310 

British  ships  ditto 2     2  to  2  10 

American  men-of-war  ditto 2     0 

British  men-of-war     ditto 114 

It  will  be  observed,  that  in  the  American  men-of-war 
the  able-seaman's  pay  is  only  £2  ;  the  consequence  is, 
that  they  remain  for  months  in  port  without  being  able  to 
obtain  men. 

But  we  must  now  pass  by  this  cause  and  look  to  the 
origin  of  it ;  or,  in  other  words,  how  it  is  that  the  Ameri 
cans  are  able  to  give  such  high  wages  to  our  seamen  as 
to  secure  the  choice  of  any  number  of  our  best  men  for 
their  service ;  and  how  it  is  that  they  can  compete  with, 
and  even  under-bid,  our  merchant  vessels  in  freight,  at  the 
same  time  that  they  sail  at  a  greater  expense  ? 

This  has  arisen  partly  from  circumstances,  partly  from 


AMERICAN    MARINE*  99 

a  series  of  mismanagement  on  our  part,  and  partly  from 
the  fear  of  impressment.  But  it  is  principally  to  be  as 
cribed  to  the  former  peculiarly  unscientific  mode  of  calcu 
lating  the  tonnage  of  our  vessels  ;  the  error  of  which  sys 
tem  induced  the  merchants  to  build  their  ships  so  as  to 
evade  the  heavy  channel  and  river  duties  ;  disregarding  all 
the  first  principles  of  naval  architecture,  and  considering 
the  sailing  properties  of  vessels  as  of  no  consequence. 

The  fact  is,  that  we  over-taxed  our  shipping. 

In  order  to  carry  as  much  freight  as  possible,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  to  pay  as  few  of  the  onerous  duties,  our 
mercantile  shipping  generally  assumed  more  the  form  of 
floating  boxes  of  merchandize  than  sailing  vessels ;  and 
by  the  false  method  of  measuring  the  tonnage,  they  were 
enabled  to  carry  600  tons,  when,  by  measurement,  they 
were  only  taxed  as  being  of  the  burden  of  400  tons  :  but 
every  increase  of  tonnage  thus  surreptitiously  obtained, 
was  accompanied  with  a  decrease  in  the  sailing  properties 
of  the  vessels.  Circumstances,  however,  rendered  this  of 
less  importance  during  the  war,  as  few  vessels  ran  without 
the  protection  of  a  convoy  ;  and  it  must  be  also  observed, 
that  vessels  being  employed  in  one  trade  only,  such  as 
the  West  India,  Canada,  Mediterranean,  &c.,  their  voyages 
during  the  year  were  limited,  and  they  were  for  a  certain 
portion  of  the  year  unemployed. 

During  the  war,  the  fear  of  impressment  was  certainly 
a  strong  inducement  to  our  seamen  to  enter  into  the 
American  vessels,  and  naturalize  themselves  as  American 
subjects  ;  but  they  were  also  stimulated,  even  at  that 
period,  by  the  higher  wages,  as  they  still  are  now  that 
the  dread  of  impressment  no  longer  operates  upon  them. 

It  appears,  then,  that  from  various  causes,  our  merchant 
vessels  have  lost  their  sailing  properties,  whilst  the  Ameri 
cans  are  the  fastest  sailers  in  the  world ;  and  it  is  for  that 
reason,  and  no  other,  that,  although  sailing  at  a  much 
greater  expense,  the  Americans  can  afford  to  outbid  us, 
and  take  all  our  best  seamen. 

An  American  vessel  is  in  no  particular  trade,  but  ready 
and  willing  to  take  freight  any  where  when  offered.  She 
sails  so  fast,  that  she  can  make  three  voyages  whilst  one 

VOL.  ii.— 9 


100  AMERICAN    MARINE. 

of  our  vessels  can  make  but  two :  consequently  she  has 
the  preference,  as  being  the  better  manned,  and  giving  the 
quickest  return  to  the  merchant ;  and  as  she  receives  three 
freights  whilst  the  English  vessel  receives  only  two,  it  is 
clear  that  the  extra  freight  will  more  than  compensate  for 
the  extra  expense  the  vessel  sails  at  in  consequence  of 
paying  extra  wages  to  the  seamen.  Add  to  this,  that  the 
captains,  generally  speaking,  being  better  paid,  are  better 
informed  and  more  active  men ;  that,  from  having  all  the 
picked  seamen,  they  get  through  their  work  with  fewer 
hands  ;  that  the  activity  on  board  is  followed  up  and  sup 
ported  by  an  equal  activity,  on  the  part  of  the  agents  and 
factors  on  shore — and  you  have  the  true  cause  why  Ameri 
ca  can  afford  to  pay  and  secure  for  herself  all  our  best 
seamen. 

One  thing  is  evident,  that  it  is  a  mere  question  of  pounds, 
shillings,  and  pence,  between  us  and  America,  and  that 
the  same  men  who  are  now  in  the  American  service 
would,  if  our  wages  were  higher  than  those  offered  by 
America,  immediately  return  to  us  and  leave  her  desti 
tute. 

That  it  would  be  worth  the  while  of  this  country,  in 
case  of  a  war  with  the  United  States,  to  offer  £4  a-head 
to  able  seamen  is  most  certain.  It  would  swell  the  naval 
estimates,  but  it  would  shorten  the  duration  of  the  war, 
and  in  the  end  would  probably  be  the  saving  of  many 
millions.  But  the  question  is,  cannot  and  ought  not  some 
thing  to  be  done,  now  in  time  of  peace,  to  relieve  our 
mercantile  shipping  interest,  and  hold  out  a  bounty  for  a 
return  to  those  true  principles  of  naval  architecture,  the 
deviation  from  which  has  proved  to  be  attended  with  such 
serious  consequences. 

Fast-sailing  vessels  will  always  be  able  to  pay  higher 
wages  than  others,  as  what  they  lose  in  increase  of  daily 
expense,  they  will  gain  by  the  short  time  in  which  the 
voyage  is  accomplished  ;  but  it  is  by  encouragement  alone 
that  we  can  expect  that  the  change  will  take  place.  Surely 
some  of  the  onerous  duties  imposed  by  the  Trinity  House 
might  be  removed,  not  from  the  present  class  of  vessels, 
but  from  those  built  hereafter  with  first-rate  sailing  pro- 


SLAVERY.  101 

parties.  These,  however,  are  points  which  call  for  a 
much  fuller  investigation  than  I  can  here  afford  them  ; 
but  they  are  of  vital  importance  toour  maritime  superio.  ity, 
and  as  such  should  be  immediately  considered  by  the 
Government  of  Great  Britain. 


SLAVERY. 

IT  had  always  appeared  to  me  as  singular  that  the  Ame 
ricans,  at  the  time  of  their  Declaration  of  Independence, 
took  no  measures  for  the  gradual,  if  not  immediate,  ex 
tinction  of  slavery  ;  that  at  the  very  time  they  were  offering 
up  thanks  for  having  successfully  struggled  for  their  own 
emancipation  from  what  they  considered  foreign  bondage, 
their  gratitude  for  their  liberation  did  not  induce  them  to 
break  the  chains  of  those  whom  they  themselves  held  in 
captivity.  It  is  useless  for  them  to  exclaim,  as  they  now 
do,  that  it  was  England  who  left  them  slavery  as  a  curse, 
and  reproach  us  as  having  originally  introduced  the  system 
amongst  them.  Admitting,  as  is  the  fact,  that  slavery 
did  commence  when  the  colonies  were  subject  to  the 
mother  country  ;  admitting  that  the  petitions  for  its  dis 
continuance  were  disregarded,  still  there  was  nothing  to 
prevent  immediate  manumission  at  the  time  of  the  ac 
knowledgment  of  their  independence  by  Great  Britian. 
They  had  then  every  thing  to  recommence  ;  they  had  to 
select  a  new  form  of  government,  and  to  decide  upon  new 
laws;  they  pronounced,  in  their  Declaration,  that  "all 
men  were  equal ;"  and  yet,  in  the  face  of  this  Declaration, 
and  their  solemn  invocation  to  the  Deity,  the  negroes,  in 
their  fetters,  pleaded  to  them  in  vain. 

I  had  always  thought  that  this  sad  omission,  which  has 
left  such  an  anomaly  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence 


102  SLAVERY. 

as'to  have  made  it  the  taunt  and  reproach  of  the  Ameri 
cans  by  the  whole  civilized  world,  did  really  arise  from 
forgetfulness  ;  that,  as  is  but  too  often  the  case,  when  we 
are  ourselves  made  happy,  the  Americans  in  their  joy  at 
their  own  deliverance  from  a  foreign  yoke,  and  the  repos 
sessing  themselves  of  their  own  rights,  had  been  too  much 
engrossed  to  occupy  themselves  with  the  undeniable 
claims  of  others.  But  I  was  mistaken  ;  such  was  not  the 
case,  as  I  shall  presently  shew. 

In  the  course  of  one  of  my  sojourns  in  Philadelphia, 
Mr.  Vaughan,  of  the  Athenaeum  of  that  city,  stated  to  me 
that  he  had  found  the  original  draft  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  in  the  hand-writing  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  and 
that  it  was  curious  to  remark  the  alterations  which  had 
been  made  previous  to  the  adoption  of  the  manifesto  which 
was  afterwards  promulgated.  It  was  to  Jefferson,  Adams, 
and  Franklin,  that  was  entrusted  the  primary  drawing  up 
of  this  important  document,  which  was  then  submitted  to 
others,  and  ultimately  to  the  Convention,  for  approval ; 
and  it  appears  that  the  question  of  slavery  had  NOT  been 
overlooked  when  the  document  was  first  framed,  as  the 
following  clause,  inserted  in  the  original  draft  by  Mr. 
Jefferson,  but  expunged  when  it  was  laid  before  the 
Convention,  will  sufficiently  prove.  After  enunaeratiag 
the  grounds  upon  which  they  threw  off  their  allegiance  to 
the  King  of  England,  the  Declaration  continued,  in  Jeffer 
son's  nervous  style  : 

"  He  [the  king]  has  waged  cruel  war  against  human 
nature  itself,  violating  its  most  sacred  rights  of  life  and 
liberty,  in  the  person  of  a  distant  people  who  never  offended 
him  ;  captivating  and  carrying  them  into  slavery,  in 
another  hemisphere,  or  to  incur  miserable  death  in  their 
transporting  thither.  This  piratical  warfare,  the  op 
probrium  of  infidel  powers,  is  the  warfare  of  the  Christian 
King  of  Great  Britain,  determined  to  keep  open  a  market 
where  men  should  be  bought  and  sold  ;  he  has  prostituted 
his  negative  for  suppressing  every  legislative  attempt  to 
prohibit  or  to  restrain  this  execrable  commerce  ;  and  that 
this  assemblage  of  horrors  might  want  no  fact  of  distia- 


SLAVERY.  103 

guished  dye,  he  is  now  exciting  these  very  people  to  rise 
in  arms  among  us,  and  to  purchase  that  liberty  of  which  he 
has  deprived  them,  by  murdering  the  people  upon  whom 
he  also  obtruded  them ;  thus  paying  off  former  crimes 
committed  against  the  liberties  of  one  people,  with  crimes 
which  he  urges  them  to  commit  against  the  lives  of 
another." 

Such  was  the  paragraph  which  had  been  inserted  by 
Jefferson,  in  the  virulence  of  his  democracy,  and  his  de 
sire  to  hold  up  to  detestation  the  King  of  Great  Britain. 
Such  was  at  that  time,  unfortunately,  the  truth  ;  and  had 
the  paragraph  remained,  and  at  the  same  time  emancipa 
tion  been  given  to  the  slaves,  it  would  have  been  a  lasting 
stigma  upon  George  the  Third.  But  the  paragraph  was 
expunged ;  and  why  ?  because  they  could  not  hold  up  to 
public  indignation  the  sovereign  whom  they  had  abjured, 
without  reminding  the  world  that  slavery  still  existed  in  a 
community  which  had  declared  that  "all  men  were 
equal ;"  and  that  ify  in  a  monarch,  they  had  stigmatised  it 
as  "  violating  the  most  sacred  rights  of  life  and  liberty," 
and  "  waging  cruel  war  against  human  nature,"  they 
could  not  have  afterwards  been  so  barefaced  and  unblush 
ing  as  to  continue  a  system  which  was  at  variance  with 
every  principle  which  they  professed.* 

It  does,  however,  satisfactorily  prove  that  the  question 
of  slavery  was  not  overlooked?  on  the  contrary,  their  de 
termination  to  take  advantage  of  the  system  was  delibe 
rate,  and,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  well  considered : — the 
very  omission  of  the  paragraph  proves  it.  I  mention  these 
facts  to  show  that  the  Americans  have  no  right  to  revile  us 
on  being  the  cause  of  slavery  in  America.  They  had  the 
means,  and  were  bound,,  as  honourable  men,  to.  act  up  ta 

*  Miss  Martineau,  in  her  admiration  of  democracy,  says  that,  in 
the  formation  of  the  government,  "  The  rule  by  which  they  worked 
was  no  less  than  the  golden  one,  which  seems  to  have  been,  by  some 
unlucky  chance,  omitted  in  the  Bibles  of  other  statesmen,  "Do  unto 
others  as  ye  would  that  they  should  do  unto  you."  I  am  afraid  the 
American  Bille,  by  some  unlucky  chance,  has  alsoomitted  that  precept 
9* 


104  SLAVERY. 

their  Declaration  ;  but  they  entered  into  the  question,  they 
decided  otherwise,  and  decided  that  they  would  retain 
their  ill-acquired  property  at  the  expense  of  their  prin 
ciples.  /' 

The  degrees  of  slavery  in  America  are  as  various  in 
iheir  intensity  as  are  the  communities  composing  the 
Union.  They  may,  however,  be  divided  with  great  pro 
priety  under  two  general  heads — eastern  and  western  sla 
very.  By  eastern  slavery  I  refer  to  that  in  the  Slave 
States  bordering  on  the  Atlantic,  and  those  Slave  States  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  which  may 
be  more  directly  considered  as  their  colonies,  viz.  in  the 
first  instance,  Maryland,  Delaware,  Virginia,  North  and 
South  Carolina ;  and,  secondly,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 
We  have  been  accustomed  lately  to  class  the  slaves  as 
non-predial  and  predial, — that  is,  those  who  are  domestic 
and  those  who  work  on  the  plantations.  This  classifica 
tion  is  not  correct,  if  it  is  intended  to  distinguish  be 
tween  those  who  are  well,  and  those  who  are  badly  treat 
ed.  The  true  line  to  be  drawn  is  between  those  who 
\vork  separately,  and  those  who  are  worked  in  a  gang  anct 
superintended  by  an  overseer.  This  is  fully  exemplified 
in  the  United  States,  where  it  will  be  found  that  in  all 
States  where  they  are  worked  in  gangs  the  slaves  are- 
harshly  treated,  while  in  the  others  their  labour  is  light. 

Now,  with  the  exception  of  the  rice  grounds  in  South 
Carolina,  the  Eastern  States  are  growers  of  corn,  hemp, 
and  tobacco;  but  their  chief  staple  is  the  breeding  of 
horses,  mules,  horned  cattle,  and  other  stock  :  the  largest 
portion  of  these  States  remain  in  wild  luxuriant  pasture, 
more  especially  in  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee, 
either  of  which  States  is  larger  than  the  other  four  men 
tioned. 

The  proportion  of  slaves  required  for  the  cultivation  of 
the  purely  agricultural  and  chiefly  grazing  farms  or  plan 
tations  in  these  States  is  small,  fifteen  or  twenty  being 
sufficient  for  a  farm  of  two  hundred  or  three  hundred 
acres  ;  and  their  labour,  which  is  mostly  confined  to  tend 
ing  slock,,  is  not  only  very  light,  but  of  the  quality  most 


SLAVERY,  105 

agreeable  to  the  negro.  Half  the  day  yon  will  see  him 
on  horseback  with  his  legs  idly  swinging  as  he  goes  along, 
or  seated  on  a  shaft-horse  driving  his  waggons.  He  is 
quite  in  his  glory;  nothing  delights  a  negro  as  much  as 
riding  or  driving,  particularly  when  he  has  a  whole  team 
under  his  control.  He  takes  his  waggon  for  a  load  of 
corn  to  feed  the  hogs,  sits  on  the  edge  of  the  shaft  as  he 
tosses  the  cobs  to  the  grunting  multitude,  whom  he  ad 
dresses  in  the  most  intimate  terms  ;  in  short,  every  thing 
is  done  leisurely,  after  his  own  fashion. 

In  these  grazing  States,  as  they  may  very  properly  be 
called,  the  negroes  are  well  fed ;  they  refuse  beef  and 
mutton,  and  will  have  nothing  but  pork  ;  and  are,  without 
exception,  the  fattest  and  most  saucy  fellows  I  ever  met 
with  in  a  state  of  bondage;  and  such  may  be  said  gene 
rally  to  be  the  case  with  all  the  negroes  in  the  Eastern 
States  which  I  have  mentioned.  The  rice  grounds  in 
South  Carolina  are  unhealthy,  but  the  slaves  are  very 
kindly  treated.  But  the  facts  speak  for  themselves.  When 
the  negro  works  in  a  gang  with  the  whip  over  him,  he 
may  be  overworked  and  ill-treated ;  but  when  he  is  not 
regularly  watched,  he  will  take  very  good  care  that  the 
work  he  performs  shall  not  injure  his  constitution. 

It  has  been  asserted,  and  generally  credited,  that  in  the 
Eastern  States  negroes  are  regularly  bred  up  like  the  cat 
tle  for  the  Western  market.  That  the  Virginians  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  other  Eastern  slave  States  do  sell  ne 
groes  which  are  taken  to  the  West,  there  is  no  doubt ;  but 
that  the  negroes  are  bred  expressly  for  that  purpose,  is,  as 
regards  the  majority  of  the  proprietors,  far  from  the  fact : 
it  is  the  effect  of  circumstances  over  which  they  have  had 
no  control.  Virginia,  when  first  settled,  was  one  of  the 
richest  States,  but  by  continually  cropping  the  land  with 
out  manuring  it,  and  that  for  nearly  two  hundred  years, 
the  major  portion  of  many  valuable  estates  has  become 
barren,  and  the  land  is  no  longer  under  cultivation  ;  in  con 
sequence  of  this,  the  negroes  (increasing  so  rapidly  as  they 
do  in  that  country)  so  far  from  being  profitable,  have  be- 
"ome  a  serious  tax  upon  their  masters,  who  have  to  rear 


1©#  SL  AVERT. 

and  maintain,  without  having  any  employment  to  give 
them.  The  small  portion  of  the  estates  under  Cultivation 
will  subsist  only  a  certain  portion  of  the  negroes  :  the  re 
mainder  must,  therefore,  be  disposed  of,  or  they  would 
eat  their  master  out  of  his  home.*  That  the  slaves  are  not 
willingly  disposed  of  by  any  of  the  proprietors  I  am  cer 
tain,  particularly  when  it  is  known  that  they  are  purchased 
for  the  West.  I  know  of  many  instances  of  this,  and  was 
informed  by  others  ;  and  by  wills,  especially,  slaves  have 
been  directed  to  be  sold  for  two-thirds  of  the  price  which 
they  would  fetch  for  the  Western  market,  on  condition 
that  they  were  not  to  leave  the  State,  These  facts  esta 
blish  two  points,  viz:  that  the  slave  in  the  Eastern  States 
is  well  treated,  and  that  in  the  Western  States  slavery  still 
exists  with  all  its  horrors.  The  common  threat  to,  and 
ultimate  punishment  of,  a  refractory  and  disobedient  slave 
in  the  East,  is  to  sell  him  for  the  Western  market.  Many 
slave  proprietors,  whose  estates  have  been  worn  out  in  the 
East,  have  preferred  migrating  to  the  West  with  their 
slaves  rather  than  sell  them,  and  thus  is  the  severity  of  the 
\Vestern  treatment  occasionally  and  partially  mitigated.! 
But  doing  justiee,  as  I  always  will,  to  those  who  have 

*  "  Many  fine  looking  districts  were  pointed  out  to  me  in  Vir 
ginia,  formerly  rich  in  tobacco  and  Indian  corn,  which  had  been  com 
pletely  exhausted  by  the  production  of  crops  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  slaves.  In  thickly-peopled1  countries  where  the  great  towns  are 
at  hand,  the  fertility  of  such  soils  may  be  recovered  and  even  im 
proved  by  manuring,  but  over  the  tracts  of  country  I  now  speak  of, 
no  such  advantages  are  within  the  farmer's  reach." — Captain  Hall. 

t  "  Many,  very  many,,  with  whom  I  met  would  willingly  have  re 
leased  their  slaves,  but  the  law  requires  that  in  such  cases  they  should 
leave  the  State ;  and  this  would  mostly  be  not  to  improve  their  condi 
tion,  but  to  banish  them  from  their  home,  and  make  them  miserable 
outcasts.  What  they  cannot  for  the  present  remove  they  are  anxious 
to  mitigate,  and  I  have  never  seen  kinder  attention  paid  to  any  domes 
tics  than  by  such  persons  to  their  slaves.  In  defiance  of  the  infamous 
laws,  making  it  criminal  for  the  slave  to  be  taught  to  read,  and  diffi 
cult  to  assemble  for  an  act  of  worship,  they  are  instructed,  and  they 
aic  assisted  to  worship  God." — Rev.  Mr.  Reid.. 


SLAVERY.  107 

been  unjustly  calumniated,  at  the  same  time  I  must  admit 
that  there  is  a  point  connected  with  slavery  in  America 
which  renders  it  more  odious  than  in  other  countries ;  I 
refer  to  the  system  of  amalgamation  which  has,  from  pro 
miscuous  intercourse,  been  carried  on  to  such  an  extent, 
that  you  very  often  meet  with  slaves  whose  skins  are 
whiter  than  their  master's. 

At  Louisville,  Kentucky,  I  saw  a  girl,  about  twelve 
years  old,  carrying  a  child ;  and,  aware  that  in  a  slave 
State  the  circumstance  of  white  people  hiring  themselves 
out  to  service  is  almost  unknown,  I  inquired  of  her  if  she 
were  a  slave.  To  my  astonishment,  she  replied  in  the 
affirmative.  She  was  as  fair  as  snow,  and  it  was  impos 
sible  to  detect  any  admixture  of  blood  from  her  appear 
ance,  which  was  that  of  a  pretty  English  cottager's  child. 

I  afterwards  spoke  to  the  master,  who  stated  when  he 
had  purchased  her  and  the  sum  which  he  had  paid. 

I  took  down  the  following  advertisement  for  a  runaway 
slave,  which  was  posted  up  in  every  tavern  I  stopped  at 
in  Virginia  on  my  way  to  the  Springs.  The  expression 
of,  "m  a  manner  white"  would  imply  that  there  was 
some  shame  felt  in  holding  a  white  man  in  bondage  : — 

"  Fifty  Dollars  Reward. 

"  Ran  away  from  the  subscriber,  on  Saturday,  the  21st  instant,  a 
slave  named — 

GEORGE, 

between  twenty  and  twenty-four  years  of  age,  five  feet  five  or  six 
inches  high,  slender  made,  stoops  when  standing,  a  little  bow  legged  ; 
generally  wears  right  and  left  boots  and  shoes ;  had  on  him  when  he 
left  a  fur  cap,  a  checked  stock  and  linen  round  about ;  had  with  him 
other  clothing,  a  jean  coat  with  black  horn  buttons,  a  pair  of  jean 
pantaloons,  both  coat  and  pantaloons  of  handsome  grey  mixed ;  no 
doubt  other  clothing  not  recollected.  He  had  with  him  a  common 
silver  watch  ;  he  wears  his  pantaloons  generally  very  tight  in  the 
legs.  Said  boy  is  in  a  manner  white,  would  be  passed  by  and  taken 
for  a  white  man.  His  hair  is  long  and  straight,  like  that  of  a  white 
person ;  looks  very  steady  when  spoken  to,  speaks  slowly,  and  would 
not  be  likely  to  look  a  person  full  in  the  face  when  speaking  to  him. 
It  is  believed  he  is  making  his  way  to  Canada  by  way  of  Ohio.  1 


108  SLAVERY. 

will  give  twenty  dollars  for  the  apprehension  of  said  slave  if  taken, 
in  the  county,  or  fifty  dollars  if  taken  out  of  the  county,  and  secur 
ed  so  that  I  recover  him  again. 

ANDREW  BEIRNE,  Jun.t 

Union  Monroe  City, 
July  3 1st,  1838.  Virginia." 

The  above  is  a  curious  document,  independently  of  its 
proving  the  manner  in  which  man  preys  upon  his  fellow- 
man  in  this  land  of  liberty  aud  equality.  It  is  a  well- 
known  fact,  that  a  considerable  portion  of  Mr.  Jefferson's 
slaves  were  his  own  children.*  If  any  of  them  abscond 
ed,  he  would  smile,  thereby  implying  that  he  should  not 
be  very  particular  in  looking  after  them  ;  and  yet  this 
man,  this  great  and  GOOD  man,  as  Miss  Martineau  calls 
him,  this  man  who  penned  the  paragraph  I  have  quoted, 
as  having  been  erased  from  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  who  asserted  that  the  slavery  of  the  negro  was  a 
violation  of  the  most  sacred  rights  of  life  and  liberty,  per 
mitted  these  his  slaves  and  his  children,  the  issue  of  his 
own  loins,  to  be  sold  at  auction  after  his  demise,  not  even 
emancipating  them,  as  he  might  have  done,  before  his 
death.  And,  but  lately,  a  member  of  Congress  for  Geor 
gia,  whose  name  I  shall  not  mention,  brought  up  a  fine 
family  of  children,  his  own  issue  by  a  female  slave  ;  for 
many  years  acknowledged  them  as  his  own  children  ; 
permitted  them  to  call  him  by  the  endearing  title  of  papa, 
and  eventually  the  whole  of  them  were  sold  by  public 
auction,  and  that,  too,  during  his  own  life-time ! 

But  there  is,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  a  more  horrible  in 
stance  on  record  and  one  well  authenticated.  A  planter 
of  good  family  (I  shall  not  mention  his  name  or  the  State 
in  which  it  occurred,  as  he  was  not  so  much  to  blame  as 
were  the  laws,)  connected  himself  with  one  of  his  own 

*  "  The  law  declares  the  children  of  slaves  are  to  follow  the  for 
tunes  of  the  mother.  Hence  the  practice  of  planters  selling  and 
bequeathing  their  own  children." — Miss  Martineau. 


SLAVERY.  109 

female  slaves,  who  was  nearly  white ;  the  fruits  of  this 
connection  were  two  daughters,  very  beautiful  girls,  who 
were  sent  to  England  to  be  educated.  They  were  both 
grown  up  when  their  father  died.  At  his  death  his  affairs 
were  found  in  a  state  of  great  disorder ;  in  fact,  there  was 
not  sufficient  left  to  pay  his  creditors.  Having  brought  up 
and  educated  these  two  girls  and  introduced  them  as  his 
daughters,  it  quite  slipped  his  memory  that,  having  been 
born  of  a  slave  and  not  manumitted,  they  were  in  reality 
slaves  themselves.  This  fact  was  established  after  his 
decease  ;  they  were  torn  away  from  the  affluence  and  re 
finement  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed,  sold  and 
purchased  as  slaves,  and  with  the  avowed  intention  of  the 
purchaser  to  reap  his  profits  from  their  prostitution  ! ! ! 

It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  the  planters  of 
Virginia  and  the  other  Eastern  States,  encourage  this 
intercourse  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  young  men  who  visit 
at  the  plantations  cannot  affront  them  more  than  to  take 
notice  of  their  slaves,  particularly  the  lighter  coloured, 
who  are  retained  in  the  house  and  attend  upon  their 
wives  and  daughters.  Independently  of  the  moral  fee 
ling  which  really  guides  them  (as  they  naturally  do  not 
wish  that  the  attendants  of  their  daughters  should  be 
degraded)  it  is  against  their  interest  in  case  they  should 
wish  to  sell ;  as  a  mulatto  or  light  male  will  not  fetch 
so  high  a  price  as  a  full-blooded  negro  ;  the  cross  between 
the  European  and  negro,  especially  the  first  cross,  i.  c. 
the  mulatto,  is  of  a  sickly  constitution,  and  quite  unable 
to  bear  up  against  the  fatigue  of  field  labour  in  the  West. 
As  the  race  becomes  whiter,  the  stamina  is  said  to  im 
prove. 

Examining  into  the  question  of  emancipation  in 
America,  the  first  enquiry  will  be,  how  far  this  consum 
mation  is  likely  to  be  effected  by  means  of  the  aboli 
tionists.  Miss  Martineau,  in  her  book,  says,  "The  good 
work  has  begun,  and  will  proceed."  She  is  so  far  right  ; 
it  has  begun,  and  has  been  progressing  very  fast,  as 
may  be  proved  by  the  single  fact  of  the  abolitionists 


110  SLAVERY. 

facturing  States,  as  they  are  most  anxious  to  be. 
Should  this  happen,  the  raw  cotton  grown  by  slave- 
labour  will  employ  the  looms  of  Massachusetts  ;  and 
then,  as  the  Quarterly  Review  very  correctly  observes, 
"  by  a  cycle  of  commercial  benefits,  the  Northern  and 
Eastern  States  will  feel  that  there  is  some  material 
compensation  for  the  moral  turpitude  of  the  system  of 
slavery." 

The  slave  proprietors  in  these  States  are  as  well 
aware  as  any  political  economist  can  be,  that  slavery  is 
a  loss  instead  of  a  gain,  and  that  no  State  can  arrive  at 
that  degree  of  prosperity  under  a  state  of  slavery  which 
it  would  under  free  labour.  The  case  is  simple.  In 
free  labour,  where  there  is  competition,  you  exact  the 
greatest  possible  returns  for  the  least  possible  expendi 
ture  ;  a  man  is  worked  as  a  machine ;  he  is  paid  for 
what  he  produces,  and  nothing  more.  By  slave  labour, 
you  receive  the  least  possible  return  for  the  greatest  pos 
sible  expense,  for  the  slave  is  better  fed  and  clothed  than 
the  freeman,  and  does  as  little  work  as  he  can.  The 
slave-holders  in  the  Eastern  States  are  well  aware  of 
this,  and  are  as  anxious  to  be  rid  of  slavery  as  are  the 
abolitionists ;  but  the  time  is  not  yet  come,  nor  will  it 
come  until  the  country  shall  have  so  filled  up  as  to  ren 
der  white  labour  attainable.  Such,  indeed,  are  not  the 
expectations  expressed  in  the  language  of  the  represen 
tatives  of  their  States  when  in  Congress ;  but,  it  must 
be  remembered,  that  this  is  a  question  which  has  con 
vulsed  the  Union,  and  that,  not  only  from  a  feeling  of 
pride,  added  to  indignation  at  the  interference,  but  from 
a  feeling  of  the  necessity  of  not  yielding  up  one  tittle 
upon  this  question,  the  language  of  determined  resistance 
is  in  Congress  invariably  resorted  to.  But  these  gen 
tlemen  have  one  opinion  for  Congress,  and  another  for 
their  private  table  ;  in  the  first,  they  stand  up  unflinch 
ingly  for  their  slave  rights  ;  in  the  other  they  reason 
calmly,  and  admit  what  they  could  not  admit  in  public. 
There  is  no  labour  in  the  Eastern  States,  excepting  that 
of  the  rice  plantations  in  South  Carolina,  which  cannot 
be  performed  by  white  men  ;  indeed,  a  large  proportion 
of  the  cotton  in  the  Carolinas  is  now  raised  by  a  free 


SLAVERY.  Ill 

while  population.  In  the  grazing  portion  of  these 
States,  white  labour  would  be  substituted  advan 
tageously,  could  white  labour  be  procured  at  any  rea 
sonable  price. 

The  time  will  come,  and  I  do  not  think  it  very  dis 
tant,  say  perhaps  twenty  or  thirty  years,  when,  provided 
America  receives  no  check,  and  these  States  are  not  in 
judiciously  interfered  with,  that  Virginia,  Kentucky, 
Delaware,  Maryland,  North  Carolina,  (and,  eventually, 
but  probably  somewhat  later,  Tennessee  and  South 
Carolina)  will,  of  their  own  accord,  enrol  themselves 
among  the  free  States.  As  a  proof  that  in  the  Eastern 
slave  States  the  negro  is  not  held  in  such  contempt,  or 
justice  towards  him  so  much  disregarded,  I  extract  the 
following  from  an  American  work  : 

"  An  instance  of  the  force  of  law  in  the  Southern 
States  for  the  protection  of  the  slave  has  just  occurred, 
in  the  failure  of  a  petition  to  his  excellency,  P.  M.  But 
ler,  Governor  of  South  Carolina,  for  the  pardon  of  Naza 
reth  Allen,  a  white  person,  convicted  of  the  murder  of 
a  slave,  and  sentenced  to  be  hung.  The  following  is 
part  of  the  answer  of  the  governor  to  the  petitioners  : 

"  '  The  laws  of  South  Carolina  make  no  distinction 
in  cases  of  deliberate  murder,  whether  committed  on  a 
black  man  or  a  white  man ;  neither  can  I.  I  am  not  a 
law-maker,  but  the  executive  officer  of  the  laws  already 
made  ;  and  I  must  not  act  on  a  distinction  which  the 
legislature  might  have  made,  but  has  not  thought  fit  to 
make.' 

"  '  That  the  crime  of  which  the  prisoner  stands  con 
victed  was  committed  against  one  of  an  inferior  grade 
in  society,  is  a  reason  for  being  especially  cautious  in 
intercepting  the  just  severity  of  the  law.  This  class  of 
our  population  are  subjected  to  us  as  well  for  their  pro 
tection  as  our  advantage.  Our  rights,  in  regard  to  them, 
are  not  more  imperative  than  their  duties;  and  the  in 
stitutions,  which  for  wise  and  necessary  ends  have  ren 
dered  them  peculiarly  dependent,  at  least  pledge  the  law 
to  be  to  them  peculiarly  a  friend  and  protector. 

"  '  The  prayer  of  the  petition  is  not  granted. 

"  '  PIERCE  M.  BUTLER/  " 


112  SLAVERY. 

In  the  Western  States,  comprehending  Missouri, 
Louisiana,  Arkansas,  Mississippi,  Georgia,  and  Alaba 
ma,  the  negroes  are,  with  the  exception  perhaps  of  the 
two  latter  States,  in  a  worse  condition  than  they  ever 
were  in  the  West-India  Islands.  This  may  be  easily 
imagined,  when  the  character  of  the  white  people  who 
inhabit  the  larger  portion  of  these  States  is  considered 
— a  class  of  people,  the  majority  of  whom  are  without 
feelings  of  honour,  reckless  in  their  habits,  intemperate, 
unprincipled,  and  lawless,  many  of  them  having  fled 
from  the  Eastern  States,  as  fraudulent  bankrupts, 
swindlers,  or  committers  of  other  crimes,  which  have 
subjected  them  to  the  penitentiaries — miscreants  defy 
ing  the  climate,  so  that  they  can  defy  the  laws.  Still 
this  representation  of  the  character  of  the  people  in 
habiting  these  States  must,  from  the  chaotic  state  of 
society  in  America,  be  received  with  many  exceptions. 
In  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  for  instance,  and  in 
Natchez,  and  its  vicinity,  and  also  among  the  planters, 
there  are  many  most  honourable  exceptions.  I  have 
said  the  majority:  for  we  must  look  to  the  mass — the 
exceptions  do  but  prove  the  rule.  It  is  evident  that 
slaves  under  such  masters  can  have  but  little  chance  of 
good  treatment,  and  stories  are  told  of  them  at  which 
humanity  shudders. 

It  appears,  then,  that  the  slaves,  with  the  rest  of  the 
population  of  America,  are  working  their  way  west, 
end  the  question  may  now  be  asked — Allowing  that 
slavery  will  soon  be  abolished  in  the  Eastern  States, 
what  prospect  is  there  of  its  ultimate  abolition  and  total 
extinction  in  America  1 

I  can  see  no  prospect  of  exchanging  slave  labour  for 
free  in  the  Western  States,  as,  with  the  exception  of 
Missouri,  I  do  not  think  it  possible  that  white  labour 
could  be  substituted,  the  extreme  heat  and  unhealthi- 
ness  of  the  climate  being  a  bar  to  any  such  attempt. 

The  cultivation  of  the  land  must  be  carried  on  by  a 
negro  population,  if  it  is  to  be  carried  on  at  all.  The 
question,  therefore,  to  be  considered  is,  whether  these 
States  are  to  be  inhabited  and  cultivated  by  a  free  or  a 


SLAVERY.  113 

slave  negro  population.  It  must  be  remembered,  that 
not  one-twentieth  part  of  the  land  in  the  Southern 
States  is  under  cultivation ;  every  year,  as  the  slaves 
are  brought  in  from  the  East,  the  number  of  acres 
taken  into  cultivation  increases.  Not  double  or  triple 
the  number  of  the  slaves  at  present  in  America  would 
be  sufficient  for  the  cultivation  of  the  whole  of  these 
vast  territories.  Every  year  the  cotton  crops  increase, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  price  of  cotton  has  not  ma 
terially  lowered  :  as  an  every  where  increasing  popu 
lation  takes  off  the  whole  supply,  this  will  probably 
continue  to  be  the  case  for  many  years,  since  it  must 
be  remembered  that,  independently  of  the  increasing 
population  increasing  the  demand,  cotton,  from  its  com 
parative  cheapness,  continually  usurps  the  place  of 
some  other  raw  material ;  this,  of  course,  adds  to  the 
consumption.  In  various  manufactures,  cotton  has  al 
ready  taken  the  place  of  linen  and  fur;  but  there  must 
eventually  be  a  limit  to  consumption :  and  this  is  cer 
tain,  that  as  soon  as  the  supply  is  so  great  as  to  exceed 
the  demand,  the  price  will  be  lowered  by  the  competi 
tion  ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  price  is  by  competition  so 
lowered  as  to  render  the  cost  and  keeping  of  the  slave 
greater  than  the  income  returned  by  his  labour,  then, 
and  not  till  then,  is  there  any  chance  of  slavery  being 
abolished  in  the  Western  States  of  America.* 

The  probability  of  this  consummation  being  brought 
about  sooner  is  in  the  expectation  that  the  Brazils, 
Mexico,  and  particularly  the  independent  State  of  Texas, 
will  in  a  few  years  produce  a  crop  of  cotton  which  may 
considerably  lower  its  price.  At  present,  the  United 
States  grow  nearly,  if  not  more,  than  half  of  the  cotton 
produced  in  the  whole  world,  as  the  return  down  to 
1831  will  substantiate. 

*  The  return  at  present  is  very  great  in  these  Western  States  ; 
the  labour  of  a  slave,  after  all  his  expenses  are  paid,  producing  on 
an  average  300  dollars  (.£65)  per  annum  to  his  master. 
10* 


SLAVERY. 


Cotton  grown  all  over  the  world  in  the  years  1821  and 
increase  in  each  country  in  ten 


1831  ;  showing  the 


years. 


United  States,     -     - 
Brazil,  

West  Indies,  -     -     - 
Egypt,  
Rest  of  Africa,    -     - 
India,    

1821. 
180,000,000  Ibs. 
32,000,000 
10,000,000 
6,000,000 
40,000,000 
175,000,000 

1831. 

385,000,000  Ibs. 
38,000,000 
9,000,000 
18,000,000 
36,000,000 
180,000,000 

Rest  of  Asia,  -     -     - 
Mexico  and  South") 
America,  except  J. 
Brazil,                  J 
Elsewhere,     -     -    - 

135^000,000 
44,000,000 
8,000,000 

115',000',000 
35,000,000 
4,000,000 

In  the  World,  -     -  630,000,000         820,000,000 

The  increase  of  cotton  grown  all  over  the  world  in 
ten  years  is  therefore  190,000,000  Ibs.  Brazil  has  only 
increased  6,000,000  ;  Egypt  has  increased  12,000,000  ; 
India,  5,000,000.  Africa,  West  Indies,  South  America, 
Asia,  have  all  fallen  off;  but  the  defalcation  has  been 
made  good  by  the  United  States,  which  have  increased 
their  growth  by  205,000,000  of  Ibs.* 

*  Increase  of  cotton  grown  in  the  United  States,  from  the  year 
1802  to  1831  :— 


Years. 

1802 

1803 

1804 

1805 

1806 

1807 

1808 

1809 

1810 

1811 

1812 

1813 

1814 

1815 

1815 


11,8. 

55,000,000 
60,000,000 
65,000,000 
70,000,000 
80,000,000 
80,000,000 
75,000,000 
82,000,000 
85,000,000 
82,000,000 
75,000,000 
75,000,000 
70,000,000 
100,000,000 
100,000,000 


Years. 

1817 

1818 

1819 

1820 

1821 

1822 

1823 

1824 

1825 

1826 

1827 

1828 

1829 

1830 

1831 


Ibs. 

130,000,000 
125,000,000 
167,000,000 
160,000,000 
180,000,000 
210,000,000 
185,000,000 
215.000,000 
255,000,000 
300,000,000 
270,000,000 
325,000,000 
365,000,000 
350,000,000 
385,000,000 


SLAVERY,  115 

In  the  Southern  portion  of  America  there  are  millions 
of  acres  on  which  cotton  can  be  successfully  cultivated, 
particularly  Texas,  the  soil  of  which  is  so  congenial 
that  they  can  produce  1,000  15.  to  the  400  Ib.  raised  by 
the  Americans;  and  the  quality  of  the  Texian  cotton  is 
said  to  be  equal  to  the  finest  Sea  Island  produce.  It  is 
to  Texas  particularly  that  we  must  look  for  this  pro 
duce,  as  it  can  there  be  raised  by  white  labour;*  and, 
being  so  produced,  will,  as  soon  as  its  population  in 
creases  to  a  certain  extent,  be  able  to  undersell  that 
which  is  grown  in  America  by  the  labour  of  the  slave. 

From  circumstances,  therefore,  Texas,  which  but  a 
few  years  since  was  hardly  known  as  a  country,  be 
comes  a  State  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  civffised 
and  moral  world. 

I  am  not  in  this  chapter  about  to  raise  the  question  how 
Texas  has  been  ravished  from  Mexico.  Miss  Marti- 
neau,  with  all  her  admiration  of  democracy,  admits  it 
to  have  been  "  the  most  high-handed  theft  of  modern 
times ;"  and  the  letter  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Channing 
to  Mr.  Clay  has  laid  bare  to  the  world  the  whole  nefa 
rious  transaction.  In  this  letter  Dr.  Channing  points 
out  the  cause  of  the  seizure  of  Texas,  and  the  wish  to 
enrol  it  among  the  Federal  States. 

"  Mexico,  at  the  moment  of  throwing  off  the  Spanish 
yoke,  gave  a  noble  testimony  of  her  loyalty  to  free 
principles,  by  decreeing,  *  That  no  person  thereafter 
should  be  born  a  slave,  or  introduced  as  such  into  the 
Mexican  States ;  that  all  slaves  then  held  should  re^ 
ceive  stipulated  wages,  and  be  subject  to  no  punish 
ment  but  on  trial  and  judgment  by  the  magistrate.' 
The  subsequent  acts  of  the  government  fully  carried 
out  these  constitutional  provisions.  It  is  matter  of  deep 

*  It  may  be  asked  :  How  is  it,  as  Texas  is  so  far  south,  that  a 
white  population  can  labour  there?  It  is  because  Texas  is  a 
prairie  country,  and  situated  at  the  bottom  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
A  sea-breeze  always  blows  across  the  whole  of  the  country,  render 
ing  it  cool,  and  refreshing  it  notwithstanding  the  power  of  the 
sun's  ruys.  This  breeze  is  apparently  a  continuation  of  the  trade- 
winds  following  the  course  of  the  sun, 


116  SLAVERY. 

grief  and  humiliation,  that  the  emigrants  from  this 
country,  whilst  boasting  of  superior  civilisation,  refused 
to  second  this  honourable  policy,  intended  to  set  limits 
to  one  of  the  greatest  of  social  evils.  Slaves  come  into 
Texas  with  their  masters  from  the  neighbouring  States 
of  this  country.  One  mode  of  evading  the  laws  was, 
to  introduce  slaves  under  formal  indentures  for  long 
periods,  in  some  cases,  it  is  said,  for  ninety-nine  years ; 
but  by  a  decree  of  the  State  Legislature  of  Coahuila 
and  Texas,  all  indentures  for  a  longer  period  than  ten 
years  were  annulled,  and  provision  was  made  for  the 
freedom  of  children  during  this  apprenticeship.  This 
settled,  invincible  purpose  of  Mexico  to  exclude  slavery 
from  her  limits,  created  as  strong  a  purpose  to  annihi 
late  her  authority  in  Texas.  By  this  prohibition,  Texas 
was  virtually  shut  against  emigration  from  the  South 
ern  and  Western  portions  of  this  country  ;  and  it  is 
well  known  that  the  eyes  of  the  South  and  West  had 
for  some  time  been  turned  to  this  province  as  a  new 
market  for  slaves,  as  a  new  field  for  slave  labour,  and 
as  a  vast  accession  of  political  power  to  the  slave-hold 
ing  States.  That  such  views  are  prevalent  we  know ; 
for,  nefarious  as  they  are,  they  found  their  way  into 
the  public  prints.  The  project  of  dismembering  a  neigh 
bouring  republic,  that  slaveholders  and  slaves  might 
overspread  a  region  which  had  been  consecrated  to  a 
free  population,  was  discussed  in  newspapers  as  coolly 
as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  obvious  right  and  unquestion 
able  humanity.  A  powerful  interest  was  thus  created 
for  severing  from  Mexico  her  distant  province." 

The  fact  is  this : — America,  (for  the  government  look 
ed  on  and  offered  no  interruption,)  has  seized  upon 
Texas,  with  a  view  of  extending  the  curse  of  slavery, 
and  of  finding  a  mart  for  the  excess  of  her  negro  popu 
lation  :  if  Texas  is  admitted  into  the  Union,  all  chance 
of  the  abolition  of  slavery  must  be  thrown  forward  to 
such  an  indefinite  period,  as  to  be  lost  in  the  mist  of 
futurity ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  Texas  remains  an  inde 
pendent  province,  or  is  restored  to  her  legitimate  owners, 
and  in  either  case  slavery  is  abolished,  she  then  be- 


SLAVERY.  117 

comes,  from  the  very  circumstance  of  her  fertility  and 
aptitude  for  white  labour,  not  only  the  great  check  to 
slavery,  but  eventually  the  means  of  its  abolition- 
Never,  therefore,  was  there  a  portion  of  the  globe  upon 
which  the  moral  world  must  look  with  such  interest. 

England  may,  if  she  acts  promptly  and  wisely,  make 
such  terms  with  this  young  State  as  to  raise  it  up  as  a 
barrier  against  the  profligate  ambition  of  America. 
Texas  was  a  portion  of  Mexico,  and  Mexico  abolished 
slavery  ;  the  Texians  are  bound  (if  they  are  Texians 
and  not  Americans)  to  adhere  to  what  might  be  consi 
dered  a  treaty  with  the  whole  Christian  world  ;  if  not, 
they  can  make  no  demand  upon  its  sympathy  or  pro 
tection,  and  it  should  be  a  sine  qua  non  with  England 
and  all  other  European  powers,  previous  to  acknow 
ledging  or  entering  into  commercial  relations  with 
Texas,  that  she  should  adhere  to  the  law  which  was 
passed  at  the  time  that  she  was  an  integral  portion  of 
Mexico,  and  declare  herself  to  be  a  Free  State — if  she 
does  not,  unless  the  chains  are  broken  by  the  negro 
himself,  the  cause  and  hopes  of  Emancipation  are 
lost. 

There  certainly  is  one  outlet  for  the  slaves,  which,  as 
they  are  removed  farther  and  farther  to  the  west,  will 
eventually  be  offered  : — that  of  escaping  to  the  Indian 
tribes  which  are  spread  over  the  western  frontier,  and 
amalgamating  with  them ;  such  indeed,  I  think,  will 
some  future  day  be  the  result,  whether  they  gain  their 
liberty  by  desertion,  insurrection,  or  manumission. 

Of  insurrection  there  is  at  present  but  little  fear.  In 
the  Eastern  slave  States,  the  negroes  do  not  think  of  it, 
and  if  they  did,  the  difficulty  of  combination  and  of  pro 
curing  arms  is  so  great,  that  it  would  be  attended  with 
very  partial  success.  The  intervention  of  a  foreign 
power  might  indeed  bring  it  to  pass,  but  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  England,  at  all  events,  will  never  be  the 
party  to  foment  a  servile  war.  Let  us  not  forget  that 
for  more  than  two  centuries  we  have  been  particeps 
criminis,  and  should  have  been  in  as  great  a  difficulty 
as  the  Americans  now  are,  had  we  had  the  negro  popu- 


118 


SLAVERY. 


lation  on  our  own  soil,  and  not  on  distant  islands  which 
could  be  legislated  for  without  affecting  the  condition  of 
the  mother  country.  Nay,  at  this  very  moment,  by 
taking  nearly  the  whole  of  the  American  cotton  off  their 
hands  in  exchange  for  our  manufactures,  we  are  our 
selves  virtually  encouraging  slavery  by  affording  the 
Americans  such  a  profitable  mart  for  their  slave  labour. 

There  is  one  point  to  which  I  have  not  yet  adverted, 
which  is,  Whether  the  question  of  emancipation  is  like 
ly  to  produce  a  separation  between  the  northern  and 
southern  States?  The  only  reply  that  can  be  given  is, 
that  it  entirely  depends  upon  whether  the  abolition  party 
can  be  held  in  check  by  the  Federal  Government.  That 
the  Federal  Government  will  do  its  utmost  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  but  the  Federal  Government  is  not  so  power 
ful  as  many  of  the  Societies  formed  in  America,  and  es 
pecially  the  Abolition  Society,  which  every  day  adds  to 
its  members.  The  interests  of  the  North  are  certainly 
at  variance  with  the  measures  of  this  society,  yet  still  it 
gains  strength.  The  last  proceedings  in  Congress  show- 
that  the  Federal  Government  is  aware  of  its  rapid  ex 
tension,  and  are  determined  to  do  all  in  its  power  to 
suppress  it.  The  following  are  a  portion  of  the  resolu 
tions  which  were  passed  last  year  by  an  overwhelming 
majority. 

The  first  resolution  was,  "  That  the  government  is  of 
limited  powers,  and  that  by  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  Congress  has  no  jurisdiction  whatever 
over  the  institution  of  slavery  in  the  several  States  of 
the  confederacy;"  the  last  was  as  follows:  "Resolved, 
therefore,  that  all  attempts  on  the  part  of  Congress  to 
abolish  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  or  the  terri 
tories,  or  to  prohibit  the  removal  of  the  slaves  from 
State  to  State;  or  to  discriminate  between  the  constitu 
tion  of  one  portion  of  the  confederacy  and  another,  with 
the  views  aforesaid,  are  in  violation  of  the  constitu 
tional  principles  on  which  the  union  of  these  States 
rests,  and  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  Congress  ;  and  that 
every  petition,  memorial,  resolution,  proposition,  or 
paper  touching  or  relating  in  any  way  or  to  any  extent 


SLAVERY.  119 

whatever  to  slavery  as  aforesaid,  or  the  abolition  there 
of,  shall,  without  any  further  action  thereon,  be  laid  on 
the  table,  without  printing,  reading,  debate,  or  refe 
rence.""  Question  put,  "  Shall  the  resolutions  pass  1" 
Yeas,  198;  Noes,  6. — Examiner. 

These  resolutions  are  very  firm  and  decided,  but  in 
England  people  have  no  idea  of  the  fanaticism  displayed 
and  excitement  created  in  these  societies,  which  are  a 
peculiar  feature  in  the  States,  and  arising  from  the  na 
ture  of  their  institutions.  Their  strength  and  perseve 
rance  are  such  that  they  bear  down  all  before  them,  and, 
regardless  of  all  consequences,  they  may  eventually 
control  the  government. 

As  to  the  question  which  portion. of  the  States  will 
be  the  losers  by  a  separation,  I  myself  think  that  it  will 
be  the  Northern  States  which  will  suffer.  But  as  I 
always  refer  to  American  authority  when  I  can,  I  had 
better  give  the  reader  a  portion  of  a  letter  written  by 
one  of  the  Southern  gentlemen  on  this  subject.  In  a 
letter  to  the  editor  of  the  National  Gazette,  Mr.  Cooper, 
after  referring  to  a  point  at  issue  with  the  abolitionists, 
not  necessary  to  introduce  here,  says — "  I  shall  there 
fore  briefly  touch  upon  the  subject  once  more;  and  if 
further  provocation  is  given,  I  may  possibly  enter  into 
more  details  hereafter ;  for  the  present  I  desire  to  hint 
at  some  items  of  calculation  of  the  value  of  the  Union  to 
the  North. 

"  1.  Mr.  Rhett,  in  his  bold  and  honest  address,  has 
stated  that  the  expenditures  of  the  Government  for 
twenty  years,  ending  183G,  have  been  four  hundred  and 
twenty  millions  of  dollars;  of  which  one  hundred  and 
thirty  were  dedicated  to  the  payment  of  the  national 
debt.  Of  the  remainder,  two  hundred  and  ten  millions 
were  expended  in  the  Northern,  and  eighty  millions  in 
the  Southern  States.  Suppose  this  Union  to  be  severed, 
I  rather  guess  the  Government  expenditure  of  what  is 
now  about  fifteen  millions  a-year  to  the  North,  would 
be  an  item  reluctantly  spared.  No  people  know  better 
what  to  do  w7ith  the  *  cheese-parings  and  the  candle- 
ends'  than  our  good  friends  to.  the  North. 


120  SLAVERY. 

"  2.  I  beg  permission  to  address  New  York  especi 
ally.  In  the  year  1836  our  exports  were  one  hundred 
and  sixteen  millions  of  dollars,  and  our  imports  one 
hundred  and  forty  millions.  It  is  not  too  much  to  assign 
seventy-five  millions  of  these  imports  to  the  State  of 
New  York.  The  South  furnishes  on  an  average  two- 
thirds  of  the  whole  value  of  the  exports.  Jt  is  fair, 
therefore,  to  say,  that  two-thirds  of  the  imports  are  con 
sumed  in  the  South,  that  is,  fifty  millions.  The  mer 
cantile  profit  on  fifty  millions  of  merchandise,  added  to 
the  agency  and  factorage  of  the  Southern  products 
transmitted  to  pay  for  them,  will  be  at  least  twenty  per 
cent.  That  is,  New  York  is  gainer  by  the  South,  of  at 
least  ten  millions  of  dollars  annually  ;  for  the  traffic  is 
not  likely  to  decrease  after  the  present  year.  No  wonder 
'  her  merchants  are  like  princes  !'  Sever  the  Union,  and 
what  becomes  of  them  ? 

u  3.  The  army,  the  navy,  the  departments  of  Govern 
ment,  are  supported  by  a  revenue  obtained  from  the  in 
direct  taxation  of  Custom-house  entries,  the  most  fraudu 
lent  and  extravagant  mode  of  taxation  known.  Of  this 
the  south  pays  two-thirds.  What  will  become  of  the 
system  if  the  South  be  driven  away? 

"  4.  The  banking  system  of  the  Northern  States  is 
founded  mainly  on  the  traffic  and  custom  of  the  South. 
Withdraw  that  for  one  twelvemonth,  and  the  whole 
banking  system  of  the  North 

Tumbles  all  precipitate, 
Down  dash'd. 

Suppose  even  one  State  withdrawn  from  the  Union, 
would  not  the  pecuniary  intercourse  with  Europe  be 
paralysed  ot  once  1 

"  5.  The  South  even  now  are  the  great  consumers  of 
New  England  manufactures.  Wre  take  her  cotton,  her 
woollen  goods,  her  boots  and  shoes.  These  last  form 
an  item  of  upwards  of  fourteen  millions  annually,  manu 
factured  at  the  North.  Much  also  of  her  iron  ware 
comes  to  the  South ;  many  other  '  notions'  are  sent 


SLAVERY.  121 

among  us,  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  that  wise  people, 
who  know  better  the  value  of  small  gains  and  small 
savings  than  we  do. 

"  6.  What  supports  the  shipping  of  the  North  but  her 
commerce  ;  and  of  her  commerce  two-thirds  is  Southern 
commerce.  Nor  is  her  commerce  in  any  manner  or  de 
gree  necessary  to  the  South  ;  Europe  manufactures 
what  the  South  wants,  and  the  South  raises  what  Eu 
rope  wants.  Between  Europe  and  the  South  there  is 
not  and  cannot  be  any  competition,  for  there  is  no  com 
mercial  or  manufacturing,  or  territorial  interference  to 
excite  jealousies  between  them.  We  want  not  the 
North.  We  can  do  without  the  North,  if  we  separate 
to-morrow.  We  can  find  carriers  and  purchasers  of  all 
we  have  to  sell  and  of  all  we  wish  to  buy,  without  cast 
ing  one  glance  to  the  North. 

"  7.  The  North  seems  to  have  a  strange  inclination  to 
quarrel  with  England.  The  late  war  of  1812  to  1814 
was  a  war  for  Northern  claims  and  Northern  interests, 
now  we  are  in  jeopardy  from  the  unjust  interference  in 
favour  of  the  patriots  of  Canada;  and  a  dispute  is  threat 
ened  on  account  of  the  Northeastern  boundary.  The 
manufacturing  and  commercial  interferences  of  the  North 
with  Europe  will  always  remain  a  possible,  if  not  a 
probable,  source  of  disputes.  The  North  raises  what 
Europe  raises ;  commercially  they  need  not  each  other 
— they  are  two  of  a  trade,  they  raise  not  what  each 
other  wants — they  are  rivals  and  competitors  when 
they  go  to  war.  Does  not  the  South,  who  is  not  inte 
rested  in  it,  pay  most  part  of  the  expense  ?  and  is  not 
the  war  expenditure  applied  to  the  benefit  of  the  North? 
Sever,  if  you  please,  the  Union,  and  the  North  will  have 
to  pay  the  whole  expense  of  her  own  quarrels. 

"  8.  Our  system  of  domestic  servitude  is  a  great  eye 
sore  to  the  fanatics  of  the  North.  But  there  are  very 
many  wise  and  honest  men  in  the  North  ;  ay,  even  in  Mas 
sachusetts.  I  ask  of  these  gentlemen  does  not  at  least 
one-third  of  the  labour  produce  of  every  Southern  slave 
ultimately  lodge  in  the  purse  of  the  North  ?  If  the  South 

VOL.    II.  11 


122  SLAVERY. 

works  for  itself  it  works  also  for  the  Northern  merchant, 
and  views  his  prosperity  without  grudging. 

"  9.  Nor  is  it  a  trifling  article  of  gain  that  arises  from 
the  expenditure  of  Southern  visiters  and  Southern  tra 
vellers,  who  spend  their  summers  and  their  money  in  the 
North.  The  quarrelsome  rudeness  of  Northern  society 
is  fast  diminishing  this  source  of  expenditure  among  us. 
Sever  the  Union  and  we  relinquish  it  altogether.  We 
can  go  to  London,  Paris,  or  Rome,  as  cheaply  and  as 
pleasantly  as  to  Saratoga  or  Niagara. 

"  Such  are  some  of  the  advantages  which  the  North 
derives  from  a  continuance  of  that  Union  which  her 
fanatic  population  is  so  desirous  to  sever.  A  popula 
tion  with  whom  peace,  humanity,  mercy,  oaths,  con 
tracts,  and  compacts,  pass  for  nothing — whose  promises 
and  engagements  are  as  chaff  before  the  wind — to  whom 
bloodshed,  robbery,  assassination,  and  murder  are  ob 
jects  of  placid  contemplation — whose  narrow  creed  of 
bigotry  supersedes  all  the  obligations  of  morality,  and 
all  the  commands  of  positive  law.  With  such  men  what 
valid  compact  can  be  made  1  The  appeal  must  be  to 
those  who  think  that  a  deliberate  compact  is  mutually 
binding  on  parties  of  any  and  every  religious  creed. 
To  such  men  I  appeal,  and  ask  ought  you  not  resolute 
ly  to  restore  peace,  and  give  the  South  confidence  and 
repose  ? 

"  I  have  now  lived  twenty  years  in  South  Carolina, 
and  have  had  much  intercourse  with  her  prominent  and 
leading  men ;  not  a  man  among  them  is  ignorant  how 
decidedly,  in  most  respects,  the  South  would  gain  by  a 
severance  from  the  North,  and  how  much  more  advan 
tageous  is  this  union  to  the  North  than  to  the  South. 
But  I  am  deeply,  firmly  persuaded  that  there  is  not  one 
man  in  South  Carolina  that  would  move  one  step  to 
ward  a  separation,  on  account  of  the  superior  advan 
tages  the  North  derives  from  the  Union.  No  Southern  is 
actuated  by  these  pecuniary  feelings;  no  Southern  be 
grudges  the  North  her  prosperity.  Enjoy  your  advan 
tages,  gentlemen  of  the  North,  and  much  good  may  they 


SLAVERY.  123 

do  ye,  as  they  have  hitherto.  But  if  these  unconstitu 
tional  abolition  attacks  upon  us,  in  utter  defiance  of  the 
national  compact,  are  to  be  continued,  God  forbid  this 
Union  should  last  another  year. 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  THOMAS  COOPER," 


124 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 


IN  theory  nothing  appears  more  rational  than  that 
every  one  should  worship  the  Deity  according  to  his 
own  ideas — form  his  own  opinion  as  to  his  attributes, 
and  draw  his  own  conclusions  as  to  hereafter.  An  es 
tablished  church  appears  to  be  a  species  of  coercion,  not 
that  you  are  obliged  to  believe  in,  or  follow  that  form  of 
worship,  but  that,  if  you  do  not,  you  lose  your  portion 
of  certain  advantages  attending  that  form  of  religion 
which  has  been  accepted  by  the  majority  and  adopted 
by  the  government.  In  religion,  to  think  for  yourself 
wears  the  semblance  of  a  luxury,  and,  like  other  luxu 
ries,  it  is  proportionably  taxed. 

And  yet  it  would  appear  as  if  it  never  were  intended 
that  the  mass  should  think  for  themselves,  as  every 
thing  goes  on  so  quietly  when  other  people  think  for 
them,  and  every  thing  goes  so  wrong  when  they  do 
think  for  themselves:  in  the  first  instance,  where  a  por 
tion  of  the  people  think  for  the  mass,  all  are  of  one  opi 
nion  ;  whereas  in  the  second,  they  divide  and  split  into  so 
many  molecules,  that  they  resemble  the  globules  of 
water  when  expanded  by  heat,  and  like  them  are  in  a 
state  of  restlessness  and  excitement. 

That  the  partiality  shown  to  an  established  church 
creates  some  bitterness  of  feeling  is  most  true,  but, 
being  established  by  law,  is  it  not  the  partiality  shown 
for  the  legitimate  over  the  illegitimate?  All  who  choose 
may  enter  into  its  portals,  and  if  people  will  remain  out 
of  doors  of  their  own  accord,  ought  they  to  complain 
that  they  have  no  house  over  their  heads  ?  They  cer 
tainly  have  a  right  to  remain  out  of  doors  if  they  please, 
but  whether  they  are  justified  in  complaining  afterwards 
is  another  question.  Perhaps  the  unreasonableness  of  the 
demands  of  the  Dissenters  in  our  own  country  will  be 


RELIGICW  IN  AMERICA. 


125 


better  brought  home  to  them  by  my  pointing  out  the 
effects  of  the  Voluntary  System  in  the  United  States. 

In  America  every  ore  worships  the  Deity  after  his 
own  fashion ;  not  only  the  mode  of  worship,  but  even 
the  Deity  itself,  varies.  Some  worship  God,  some  Mam 
mon  ;  some  admit,  some  deny,  Christ;  some  deny  both 
God  and  Christ;  some  are  saved  by  living  prophets 
only ;  some  go  to  heaven  by  water,  while  some  dance 
their  way  upwards.  Numerous  as  are  the  sects,  still 
are  the  sects  much  subdivided.  Unitarians  are  not  in 
unity  as  to  the  portion  of  divinity  they  shall  admit  to 
our  Saviour ;  Baptists,  as  to  the  precise  quantity  of 
water  necessary  to  salvation  ;  even  the  Quakers  have 
split  into  controversy,  and  the  men  of  peace  are  at  open 
war  in  Philadelphia,  the  city  of  brotherly  love. 

The  following  is  the  table  of  the  religious  denomina 
tions  of  the  United  States,  from  the  American  Almanac 
of  1838  :— - 


Table  of  the  Religious  Denominations  of  the  United  States. 

Congrega-     Minis-      Communi-      Ponillatinn 
tions.  tfii-a.  rants.          Copulation 


Baptists   -         .                    6,319 

4,239 

452,000  'i 

Freewillers 

753 

612 

38,876  ! 

Seventh  Day    - 

42 

46 

4,503  f 

4,oUU,UUU 

Six  Principle    - 

16 

10 

2,117  j 

Roman  Catholics 

433 

389 

800,000 

Christians 

1,000 

800 

150,000 

300,000 

Ccngregationalists 

1,300 

1,150 

160,000 

1,400,000 

Dutch  Reformed 

197 

192 

22,215 

450,000 

Episcopalians 

850 

899 

600,000 

Friends 

500 

100,000 

German  Reformed 

600 

180 

30,000 

Jews 

15,000 

Lutherans 

750 

267 

62,266 

540,000 

Mennonites 

200 

30,000 

Wesleyans 

2,764 

650,103  ) 

Protestants 

400 

50,000  C 

o,UUUT000 

Moravians,       -                         24 

33 

5,745 

12,000 

Mormonites 

12,000 

12,000 

New  Jerusalem  Church          27 

33 

5,000 

11* 


126  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 


Minis-        Communi- 
tiona.  ters.  cants. 

Presbyterians  -  -         2,807  2,225  274,084  ^ 

Cumberland      -  -             500  450  50,000 

Associate          -  183  87  16,000  \  2,175,000 

Reformed          -  40  20  3,000 

Associate  Reformed  214  116  12,000  j 

Shakers            -  15  45  6,000 

Tunkers           -  40  40  3,000          30,000 

Unitarians        -  .             200  174  180,000 

Universalists    -  -            653  317  600,000 

1,983,905 

In  this  list  many  varieties  of  sects  are  blended  into 
one.  For  instance,  the  Baptists  who  are  divided  ;  also 
the  Friends,  who  have  been  separated  into  Orthodox 
and  Hicksite,  the  Camelites,  &c.  &c.  But  it  is  not 
worth  while  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  the  numerous 
minor  sects,  or  we  might  add  Deists,  Atheists,  &c. — for 
even  no  religion  is  a  species  of  creed.  It  must  be  ob 
served,  that,  according  to  this  table,  out  of  the  whole 
population  of  the  United  States,  there  are  only  1,983,905, 
(with  the  exception  of  the  Catholics,  who  are  communi 
cants,)  that  is,  who  have  openly  professed  any  creed  ; 
the  numbers  put  down  as  the  population  of  the  different 
creeds  are  wholly  supposititious.  How  can  it  be  other 
wise,  when  people  have  not  professed?  It  is  computed, 
that  in  the  census  of  1840  the  population  of  the  States 
will  have  increased  to  18,000,000,  so  thatat  maybe  said 
that  only  one-ninth  portion  have  professed  and  openly 
avowed  themselves  Christians. 

Religion  may,  as  to  its  consequences,  be  considered 
under  two  heads  ;  as  it  affects  the  future  welfare  of  the 
individual  when  he  is  summoned  to  the  presence  of  the 
Deity,  and  as  it  affects  society  in  general,  by  acting 
upon  the  moral  character  of  the  community.  Now,  ad 
mitting  the  right  of  every  individual  to  decide  whether 
he  will  follow  the  usual  beaten  track,  or  select  for  him 
self  a  by-path  for  his  journey  upward,  it  must  be  ac 
knowledged  that  the  results  of  this  free-will  are,  in  a 


RELIGION'  IN  AMERICA.  127 

moral  point  of  view,  as  far  as  society  is  concerned,  any 
thing  but  satisfactory. 

It  would  appear  as  if  the  majority  were  much  too 
frail  and  weak  to  go  alone  upon  their  heavenly  journey; 
as  if  they  required  the  support,  the  assistance,  the  en 
couragement,  the  leaning  upon  others  who  are  journey 
ing  with  them,  to  enable  them  successfully  to  gain  the 
goal.  The  effects  of  an  established  church  are  to  ce 
ment  the  mass,  cement  society  and  communities,  and 
increase  the  force  of  those  natural  ties  by  which  fami 
lies  and  relations  are  bound  together.  There  is  an  at 
traction  of  cohesion  in  an  uniform  religious  worship, 
acting  favourably  upon  the  morals  of  the  mass,  and 
binding  still  more  closely  those  already  united. 

Now,  the  voluntary  system  in  America  has  produced 
the  very  opposite  effects :  it  has  broken  one  of  the 
strongest  links  between  man  and  man,  for  each  goeth 
his  own  way :  as  a  nation,  there  is  no  national  feeling 
to  be  acted  upon ;  in  society,  there  is  something  want 
ing,  and  you  ask  yourself  what  it  is1?  and  in  families  it 
often  creates  disunion  :  I  know  one  among  many  others, 
who,  instead  of  going  together  to  the  same  house  of 
prayer,  disperse  as  soon  as  they  are  out  of  the  door: 
one  daughter  to  a  Unitarian  chapel,  another  to  a  Baptist ; 
the  parents  to  the  Episcopal ;  the  sons,  any  where,  or 
no  where.  But  worse  effects  are  produced  than  even 
these :  where  any  one  is  allowed  to  have  his  own  pe 
culiar  way  of  thinking,  his  own  peculiar  creed,  there 
neither  is  a  watch,  nor  a  right  to  watch  over  each 
other ;  there  is  no  mutual  communication,  no  encou 
ragement,  no  parental  control ;  and  the  consequence  is, 
that  by  the  majority,  especially  the  young,  religion  be 
comes  wholly  and  utterly  disregarded. 

Another  great  evil,  arising  from  the  peculiarity  of  the 
voluntary  system,  is,  that  in  many  of  the  principal  sects 
the  power  has  been  wrested  from  the  clergy  and  as 
sumed  by  the  laity,  who  exercise  an  inquisition  most 
injurious  to  the  cause  of  religion ;  and  to  such  an  excess 
of  tyranny  is  this  power  exercised,  that  it  depends  upon 
the  laity,  and  not  upon  the  clergy,  whether  any  indivi- 


128  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

dual  shall  or  shall  not  be  admitted  as  a  communicant  at 
the  table  of  our  Lord.* 

Referring  to  religious  instruction,  Mr.  Carey  in  his 
work  attempts  to  prove  the  great  superiority  of  religious 
instruction  and  church  accommodation  in  America,  as 
compared  with  those  matters  in  this  country.  He  draws 
his  conclusions  from  the  number  of  churches  built  and 
provided  for  the  population  in  each.  Like  most  others 
of  his  conclusions,  they  are  drawn  from  false  premises  : 
he  might  just  as  well  argue  upon  the  number  of  horses 
in  each  country,  from  the  number  of  horse-ponds  he 
might  happen  to  count  in  each.  In  the  first  place,  the 
size  of  the  churches  must  be  considered,  and  their  ability 
to  accommodate  the  population ;  and  on  this  point  the 
question  is  greatly  in  favour  of  England ;  for  with  the 
exception  of  the  cities  and  large  towns,  the  churches 
scattered  about  the  hamlets  and  rising  towns  are  small 
even  to  ridicule,  built  of  clap-boards,  and  so  light  that, 
if  on  wheels,  two  pair  of  English  post-horses  would  trot 
them  away  to  meet  the  minister. 

Mr.  Carey  also  finds  fault  with  the  sites  of  our 
churches,  as  being  unfortunate  in  consequence  of  the 
change  of  population.  There  is  some  truth  in  this  re 
mark;  but  our  churches  being  built  of  brick  and  stone, 
cannot  be  so  easily  removed ;  and  it  happens  that  the 
sites  of  the  majority  of  the  American  churches  are 
equally  unfortunate,  not  as  in  our  case,  from  the  popu 
lation  having  left  them,  but  from  the  population  not 
having  come  to  them.  You  may  pass  in  one  day  a 
dozen  towns  having  not  above  twenty  or  thirty  private 
houses,  although  you  will  invariably  find  in  each  a 
hotel,  a  bank,  and  churches  of  two  or  three  denomina 
tions,  built  as  a  speculation,  either  by  those  who  hold 
the  ground  lots,  or  by  those  who  have  settled  there,  and 
as  an  inducement  to  others  to  come  and  settle.  The 

*  Miss  Martineau  may  well  inquire,  "  How  does  the  existing 
state  of  religion  accord  with  the  promise  of  its  birth?  In  a  country 
which  professes  to  every  man  the  pursuit  of  happiness  in  his  own 
way,  what  is  the  state  of  his  liberty  in  the  most  private  and  indi 
vidual  of  all  concerns  ?" 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  129 

churches,  as  Mr.  Carey  states,  exist,  but  the  congrega 
tions  have  not  arrived ;  while  you  may,  at  other  times, 
pass  over  many  miles  without  finding  a  place  of  wor 
ship  for  the  spare  population.  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
asserting,  not  only  that  our  12,000  churches  and  cathe 
drals  will  hold  a  larger  number  of  people  than  the  20,000 
stated  by  Mr.  Carey  to  be  erected  in  America,  but  that 
as  many  people,  (taking  into  consideration  the  difference 
of  the  population,)  go  to  our  12,000,  as  to  the  20,000  in 
the  United  States. 

Neither  is  Mr.  Carey  correct  when  he  would  insinu 
ate  that  the  attention  given  by  the  people  in  America  to 
religious  accommodation  is  greater  than  with  us.  It  is 
true,  that  more  churches,  such  as  they  are,  are  built  in 
America  ;  but  pay  ing  an  average  of  £12,000  for  a  church 
built  of  brick  or  stone  in  England,  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  paying  12,000  dollars  for  a  clap-board  and 
shingle  affair  in  America,  and  which  compared  with 
those  of  brick  and  mortar,  are  there  in  the  proportion  of 
ten  to  one.  And  further,  the  comparative  value  of 
church  building  in  America  is  very  much  lowered  by 
the  circumstance  that  they  are  compelled  to  multiply 
them,  to  provide  for  the  immense  variety  of  creeds 
which  exist  under  the  voluntary  system.  When  people 
in  a  community  are  all  of  one  creed,  one  church  is  suf 
ficient  ;  but  if  they  are  of  different  persuasions,  they 
must,  as  they  do  in  America,  divide  the  one  large  church 
into  four  little  ones.  It  is  not  fair,  therefore,  for  Mr. 
Carey  to  count  churches.* 

But,  although  I  will  not  admit  the  conclusions  drawn 
from  Mr.  Carey's  premises,  nor  that,  as  he  would  at 
tempt  to  prove,  the  Americans  are  a  more  religious 
people  than  the  English,  I  am  not  only  ready,  but 
anxious  to  do  justice  to  the  really  religious  portion  of 
its  inhabitants.  I  believe  that  in  no  other  country  is 

*  "  We  know  also  that  large  sums  are  expended  annually  for  the 
building1  of  churches  or  places  of  worship,  which  in  cities  cost  from 
10,000  to  100,000  dollars  each;  and  in  the  country  from  500  to 
5,000  dollars." — Voice  from  America  by  an  American  Gentleman. 
[What  must  be  the  size  of  a  church  which  costs  500  dollars  ?] 


130  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

there  more  zeal  shown  by  its  various  ministers,  zeal 
even  to  the  sacrifice  of  life ;  that  no  country  sends  out 
more  zealous  missionaries ;  that  no  country  has  more 
societies  for  the  diffusion  of  the  gospel ;  and  that  in  no 
other  country  in  the  world  are  larger  sums  subscribed 
for  the  furtherance  of  those  praiseworthy  objects  as  in 
the  Eastern  States  of  America.  I  admit  all  this,  and 
admit  it  with  pleasure,  for  I  know  it  to  be  a  fact :  I  only 
regret  to  add,  that  in  no  other  country  are  such  strenu 
ous  exertions  so  incessantly  required  to  stem  the  tor 
rent  of  atheism  and  infidelity  which  so  universally  exists 
in  this.  Indeed  this  very  zeal,  so  ardent  on  the  part  of 
the  ministers,  and  so  aided  by  the  well-disposed  of  the 
laity,  proves  that  what  I  have  just  now  asserted  is,  un 
fortunately,  but  too  true. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  comment  upon  the  numerous 
sects,  and  the  varieties  of  worship  practised  in  the  Uni 
ted  States.  The  Episcopal  church  is  small  in  proportion 
to  the  others,  and  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  although  it 
may  increase  its  members  with  the  increase  of  popula 
tion,  it  is  not  likely  to  make  any  vigorous  or  successful 
stand  against  the  other  sects.  The  two  churches  most 
congenial  to  the  American  feelings  and  institutions  are 
the  Presbyterian  and  Congregationalists.*  They  may, 
indeed,  in  opposition  to  the  hierarchy  of  the  Episcopal, 
be  considered  as  Republican  churches;  and  admitting 
that  many  errors  have  crept  into  the  Established  church 
from  its  too  intimate  union  with  the  State,  I  think  it  will 
be  proved  that,  in  rejecting  its  errors  and  the  domina 
tion  of  the  mitre,  the  seceders  have  fallen  into  still  great 
er  evils ;  and  have  for  the  latter,  substituted  a  despot 
ism  to  which  every  thing,  even  religion  itself,  must  in 
America  succumb. 

In  a  republic,  or  democracy,  the  people  will  rule  in 
every  thing:  in  the  Congregational  church  they  rule  as 
deacons  ;  in  the  Presbyterian  as  elders.  Affairs  are 
litigated  and  decided  in  committees  and  councils,  and 

*  "The  Congregationalists  answer  to  the  Independents  of  Eng 
land,  and  are  sympathetically,  and  to  a  great  extent,  lineally 
descendants  of  the  Puritans." — Voice  from  Amtrica,  p.  62. 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  131 

thus  is  the  pastoral  office  deprived  of  its  primitive  and 
legitimate  influence,  and  the  ministers  are  tyrannised 
over  by  the  laity,  in  the  most  absurd  and  most  unjusti 
fiable  manner.  If  the  minister  does  not  submit  to  their 
decisions,  if  he  asserts  his  right  as  a  minister  to  preach 
the  word  according  to  his  reading  of  it,  he  is  arraigned 
and  dismissed.  In  short,  although  sent  for  to  instruct 
the  people,  he  must  consent  to  be  instructed  by  them  or 
surrender  up  his  trust.  Thus  do  the  ministers  lose  all 
their  dignity  and  become  the  slaves  of  the  congregation, 
who  give  them  their  choice,  either  to  read  the  Scriptures 
according  to  their  reading,  or  to  go  and  starve.  I  was 
once  canvassing  this  question  with  an  American,  who 
pronounced  that  the  laity  were  quite  right,  and  that  it 
was  the  duty  of  the  minister  to  preach  as  his  congrega 
tion  wished.  His  argument  was  this  : — "  If  I  send  to 
Manchester  for  any  article  to  be  manufactured,  I  expect 
it  to  be  made  exactly  after  the  pattern  given,  if  not  I 
will  not  take  it :  so  it  is  with  the  minister  :  he  must  find 
goods  exactly  suited  to  his  customers,  or  expect  them  to 
be  left  on  his  hands  !" 

And  it  really  would  appear  as  if  such  were  the  gene 
ral  opinion  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Colton,  an  Ame 
rican  minister,  who  turned  from  the  Presbyterian  to  the 
Episcopal  church,  in  his  "  Reasons  for  Episcopacy," 
makes  the  following  remarks  ;*  speaking  of  the  deacons 
and  elders  of  their  churches,  he  says — 

"  They  may  be  honest  and  good  men,  and  very  pious ; 
but  in  most  churches  they  are  men  of  little  intellectual 
culture  ;  and  the  less  they  have,  the  more  confident  and 
unbending  are  they  in  their  opinions.  If  a  minister 
travels  an  inch  beyond  the  circle  of  their  vision  in  theo 
logy,  or  startle  them  with  a  new  idea  in  his  interpretation 
of  Scripture,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  their  suspicion  of  his 
orthodoxy  will  be  awakened.  If  he  does  any  thing  out 

*  I  must  request  the  reader's  forbearance  at  the  extreme  length 
of  the  quotations,  but  I  cannot  well  avoid  making  them.  What 
ever  weight  my  opinion,  as  the  opinion  of  an  observant  traveller 
may  have,  it  must  naturally  be  much  increased  if  supported,  as  it 
always  is  when  opportunity  offers,  by  American  authority. 


132 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 


of  the  common  course,  he  is  an  innovator.  If,  from  the 
multiplicity  of  his  cares  and  engagements,  he  is  now 
and  then  obliged  to  preach  an  old  sermon,  or  does  not 
visit  so  much  as  might  be  expected,  he  is  lazy.  For 
these  and  for  other  delinquencies,  as  adjudged  by  these 
associates,  it  becomes  their  conscientious  duty  to  ad 
monish  him.  He  who  is  appointed  to  supervise  the 
flock,  is  himself  supervised.  *  I  have  a  charge  to  give 
you,'  said  a  deacon  to  me  once,  the  first  time  and  the 
moment  I  was  introduced  to  him,  after  I  had  preached 
one  or  two  Sabbaths  in  the  place,  and,  as  it  happened,  it 
was  the  first  word  he  said  after  we  shook  hands,  adding, 
'  I  often  give  charges  to  ministers.'  I  knew  him  to  be 
an  important  man,  and  the  first  in  the  church  ;  but  as  I 
had  nothing  at  stake  there  that  depended  on  his  favour,  I 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  replying  to  him  in 
view  of  his  consequential  airs,'*  *  You  may  use  your  dis 
cretion,  sir,  in  this  particular  instance;  but  I  can  tell 
you  that  ministers  are  sometimes  overcharged.'  How 
ever,  I  did  not  escape. 

"It  seems  to  be  a  principle  in  Presbyterian  and 
Congregational  churches,  that  the  minister  must  be 
overlooked  by  the  elders  and  deacons  ;  and  if  he  does 
not  quietly  submit  to  their  rule,  his  condition  will  be 
uncomfortable.  He  may  also  expect  visitations  from 
women  to  instruct  him  in  his  duty  ;  at  least  they  will 
contrive  to  convey  to  him  their  opinions.  It  is  said  of 
Dr.  Bellamy,  of  Bethlehem,  Connecticut,  who  was  emi 
nently  a  peace-maker,  and  was  always  sent  for  by  all 
the  churches  in  the  country  around,  at  a  great  distance, 

"  The  American  clergy  are  the  most  backward  and  timid  class 
in  the  society  of  which  they  live  ;  self-exiled  from  the  great  moral 
question  of  the  time;  the  least  informed  with  true  knowledge — the 
least  efficient  in  virtuous  action — the  least  conscious  of  that  Chris- 
tian  and  republican  freedom  which,  as  a  native  atmosphere  of  piety 
and  holiness,  it  is  their  prime  duty  to  cherish  and  diffuse," — Miss 

Marlineau. 1    quote   this    paragraph   to    contradict    it.      The 

American  clergy  are,  in  the  mass,  equal,  if  not  superior  to  any  in 
the  world:  they  have  to  struggle  with  difficulties  almost  insur 
mountable,  (as  I  shall  substantiate,)  and  worthily  do  they  perform 
their  tasks. 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  133 

to  settle  their  difficulties,  that  having  just  returned  from 
one  of  these  errands,  and  put  up  his  horse,  another  mes 
sage  of  the  same  kind  came  from  another  quarter — *  And 
what  is  the  matter  1'  said  the  Doctor  to  the  messenger. 

1  Why,'   said  he,  '  Deacon  has — '     '  Has — that's 

enough.  There  never  is  a  difficulty  in  a  church,  but 
some  old  deacon  is  at  the  bottom  of  it.' 

"  Unquestionably,  it  is  proper,  wise,  and  prudent  for 
every  minister  to  watch  and  consult  the  popular  opinion 
around  him,  in  relation  to  himself,  his  preaching,  and 
his  conduct.  But,  if  a  minister  is  worthy  to  be  the 
pastor  of  a  people,  he  is  also  worthy  of  some  confidence, 
and  ought  to  receive  deference.  In  his  own  proper 
work  he  may  be  helped,  he  may  be  sustained,  but  he 
cannot  be  instructed  by  his  people;  he  cannot  in  gene 
ral  be  instructed  by  the  wisest  of  them.  Respectful 
and  kind  hints  from  competent  persons  he  may  receive, 
and  should  court — he  may  profit  by  them.  But,  if  he 
is  a  man  fit  for  his  place,  he  should  retain  that  honour 
that  will  leave  him  scope,  and  inspire  him  with  courage 
to  act  a  manly  part.  A  Christian  pastor  can  never  ful 
fil  his  office,  and  attain  its  highest  ends,  without  being 
free  to  act  among  his  people  according  to  the  light  of 
his  conscience  and  his  best  discretion.  To  have  elders 
and  deacons  to  rule  over  him,  is  to  be  a  slave — is  not 
to  be  a  man.  The  responsibilities,  cares,  burdens,  and 
labours  of  the  pastoral  office  are  enough,  without  being 
impeded  and  oppressed  by  such  anxieties  as  these.  In 
the  early  history  of  New  England,  a  non-conformist  mi 
nister,  from  the  old  country,  is  represented  to  have  said, 
after  a  little  experience  on  this  side  of  the  water,  '  I  left 
England  to  get  rid  of  my  lords  the  bishops ;  but  here  I 
find  in  their  place  my  lords,  the  brethren  and  sisters ; 
save  me  from  the  latter,  and  let  me  have  the  former.' 

"  It  has  actually  happened  within  a  few  years  in  New 
England,  and  I  believe  in  other  parts  of  the  country, 
that  there  has  been  a  system  of  lay  visitation  of  the 
clergy  for  the  purpose  of  counselling,  admonishing,  and 
urging  them  up  to  their  duty ;  and  that  these  self-com 
missioned  apostles,  two  and  two,  have  gone  from  town 

VOL.  II.  12 


134  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

to  town,  and  from  district  to  district  of  the  country, 
making  inquisition  at  the  mouth  of  common  rumour, 
and  by  such  methods  as  might  be  convenient,  into  the 
conduct  and  fidelity  of  clergymen  whom  they  never 
saw ;  and,  having  exhausted  their  means  of  informa 
tion,  have  made  their  way  into  the  closets  of  their 
adopted  proteges ;  to  advise,  admonish,  pray  with,  and 
for  them,  according  as  they  might  need.  Having  ful 
filled  their  office,  they  have  renewed  their  march,  *  staff 
and  scrip,'  in  a  straightforward  way,  to  the  next  parish 
in  the  assigned  round  of  their  visitations,  to  enact  the 
same  scene,  and  so  on  till  their  work  was  done. 

"  Of  course,  they  were  variously  received ;  though, 
for  the  most  part,  I  believe  they  have  been  treated  civil 
ly,  and  their  title  to  this  enterprise  not  openly  disputed. 
There  has  been  an  unaccountable  submission  to  things 
of  this  kind,  proving  in'deed  that  the  ministers  thus  vi 
sited  were  not  quite  manly  enough ;  or  that  a  public 
opinion,  authorising  these  transactions,  had  obtained 
too  extensive  a  sway  in  their  own  connexion,  and 
among  their  people,  to  be  resisted.  By  many,  doubt 
less,  it  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  hopeful  symptoms  of 
this  age  of  religious  experiment. 

"  I  have  heard  of  one  reception  of  these  lay  apostles, 
which  may  not  be  unworthy  of  record.  One  pair  of 
them — for  they  went  forth  « two  and  two,'  and  thus  far 
were  conformed  to  Scripture — both  of  them  mechanics, 
and  one  a  shoemaker,  having  abandoned  their  calling 
to  engage  in  this  enterprise,  came  upon  a  subject  who 
was  not  well  disposed  to  recognise  their  commission. 
They  began  to  talk  with  him  :  *  We  have  come  to  stir 
you  up.' — '  How  is  the  shoe  business  in  your  city  f 
said  the  clergyman  to  the  shoemaker,  who  was  the 
speaker ;  for  it  was  a  city  from  which  they  came.  The 
shoemaker  looked  vacant,  and  stared  at  the  question, 
as  if  he  thought  it  not  very  pertinent  to  his  errand ; 
and,  after  a  little  pause,  proceeded  in  the  discharge  of 
his  office :  •  We  have  come  to  give  your  church  a 
shaking.' — •  Is  the  market  for  shoes  good  V  said  the 
clergyman.  Abashed  at  this  apparent  obliquity,  the 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  135 

shoemaker  paused  again  ;  and  again  went  on  in  like 
manner.  To  which  the  clergyman  :  '  Your  business  is 
at  a  stand,  sir,  I  presume ;  I  suppose  you  have  nothing 
to  do?'  And  so  the  dialogue  went  on  ;  the  shoemaker 
confining  himself  to  his  duty,  and  the  clergyman  talk 
ing  only  of  shoes,  in  varied  and  constantly-shifting  col 
loquy,  till  the  perverse  and  wicked  pertinacity  of  the 
latter  discouraged  the  former ;  and  the  shoemaker  and 
his  brother  took  up  their  hats,  *  to  shake  off  the  dust  of 
their  feet,'  and  turn  away  to  a  more  hopeful  subject. 
The  clergyman  bowed  them  very  civilly  out  of  doors, 
expressing  his  wish,  as  they  departed,  that  the  shoe 
business  might  soon  revive.  Of  course,  these  lay  apos 
tles,  in  this  instance,  were  horror-struck ;  and  it  cannot 
be  supposed  they  were  much  inclined  to  leave  their 
blessing  behind  them. 

"  I  believe  I  do  not  mistake  in  expressing  the  con 
viction  that  there  are  hundreds,  not  to  say  thousands, 
of  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  clergy,  who 
will  sympathise  with  me  thoroughly  in  these  strictures 
on  the  encroachments  of  the  laity  upon  pastoral  pre 
rogative  ;  who  groan  under  it ;  who  feel  that  it  ought 
to  be  rebuked  and  corrected,  but  despair  of  it;  and 
who  know  that  their  usefulness  is  abridged  by  it  to  an 
amount  that  cannot  be  estimated.*  It  can  hardly  be 

*  "  The  Rev.  Mr.  Reid  mentions  a  very  whimsical  instance  of 
the  interference  of  the  laity  in  every  possible  way.  He  says,  that 
being  at  church  one  Sabbath,  there  was  one  reverend  old  man, 
certainly  a  leader  among  them,  who  literally,  as  the  preacher  went 
on  with  his  sermon,  kept  up  a  sort  of  recitation  with  him ;  as,  for 
instance,  the  preacher  continuing  his  sermon — 

The  duty  here  inferred  is,  to  deny  ourselves — 

Elder.  God  enable  us  to  do  it. 

Preacher.  It  supposes  that  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God— 

Elder.  Ah,  indeed,  Lord,  it  is. 

Preacher.  The  very  reverse  of  what  God  would  have  us  to  be — 

Elder.  God  Almighty  knows  it's  true. 

Preacher.  How  necessary,  then,  that  God  should  call  upon  us  to 
renounce  every  thing — 

Elder.  God  help  us  ! 

Preacher.  Is  it  necessary  for^e  to  say  more  ? 


a 


136  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

denied,  I  think,  that  the  prevalence  of  this  spirit  has 
greatly  increased  within  a  few  years,  and  become  a 
great  and  alarming  evil.  This  increase  is  owing,  no 
doubt,  to  the  influence  and  new  practices  introduced 
into  the  religious  world  by  a  certain  class  of  ministers, 
who  have  lately  risen  and  taken  upon  themselves  to 
rebuke  and  set  down  as  unfaithful  all  other  ministers 
who  do  not  conform  to  their  new  ways,  or  sustain 
them  in  their  extravagant  career." 

The  interference,  I  may  say  the  tyranny,  of  the  laity 
over  the  ministers  of  these  democratic  churches  is, 
however,  of  still  more  serious  consequences  to  those 
who  accept  such  arduous  and  repulsive  duty.  It  is  a 
well-known  fact  that  there  is  a  species  of  bronchitis,  or 
affection  of  the  lungs,  peculiar  to  the  ministers  in  the 
United  States,  arising  from  their  excessive  labours  in 
their  vocation.  I  have  already  observed,  that  the  zeal 
of  the  minister  is  even  unto  death :  the  observations  of 
Mr.  Colton  fully  bear  me  out  in  my  assertion. 

"  There  is  another  serious  evil  in  the  Presbyterian 
and  Congregational  denominations,  which  has  attained 

Elder.  No— oh — no  ! 

Preacher.  Have  I  not  said  enough  ? 

Eider.  Oh,  yes,  quite  enough. 

Preacher.  I  rejoice  that  God  calls  me  to  give  up  every  thing — 

Elder.  Yes,  Lord,  I  would  let  it  all  go. 

Preacher.  You  must  give  up  all— 

Elder.  Yes— all. 

Preacher.  Your  pride — 

Elder.  My  pride — 

Preacher.  Your  envy — 

Elder.  My  envy. 

Preacher.  Your  covetousness^-r 

Elder.  My  covetousness. 

Preacher.  Your  anger— r 

Elder.  Yes — my  anger. 

Preacher.  Sinner,  then,  how  awful  is  your  condition ! 

Elder.  How  awful ! 

Preacher.  What  reason  for  all  to  examine  themselves. 

Elder.  Lord,  help  us  to  search  our  hearts  ! 

Preacher,  Could  you  have  more  motives?     I  have  done. 

Elder.   Thank  God- Thank  God   for   his   holy   word. 

Amen." 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  137 

to  the  consequence  of  an  active  and  highly  influential 
element  in  these  communities.  I  refer  to  the  excessive 
amount  of  labour  that  is  demanded  of  the  clergy,  which 
is  undermining  their  health,  and  sending  scores  to  their 
graves  every  year,  long  before  they  ought  to  go  there. 
It  is  a  new  state  of  things,  it  must  be  acknowledged, 
and  might  seem  hopeful  of  good,  that  great  labours  and 
high  devotion  to  the  duties  of  the  Christian  ministry  in 
our  country  will  not  only  be  tolerated,  but  are  actually 
demanded  and  imperatively  exacted.  At  first  glance 
it  is  a  most  grateful  feature.  But,  when  the  particulars 
come  to  be  inquired  into,  it  will  be  found  that  the  mind 
and  health-destroying  exactions  now  so  extensively 
made  on  the  energies  of  the  American  clergy,  par 
ticularly  on  these  two  classes  I  am  now  considering, 
are  attributable,  almost  entirely,  to  an  appetite  for  cer 
tain  novelties,  which  have  been  introduced  within  a  few 
years,  adding  greatly  to  the  amount  of  ministerial  la 
bour,  without  augmenting  its  efficiency,  but  rather 
detracting  from  it.  Sermons  and  meetings  without  end, 
and  in  almost  endless  variety,  are  expected  and  de 
manded  ;  and  a  proportionate  demand  is  made  on  the 
intellect,  resources,  and  physical  energies  of  the  preacher. 
^Ie  must  be  as  much  more  interesting  in  his  exercises 
and  exhibitions  as  the  increased  multiplicity  of  public 
religious  occasions  tend  to  pall  on  the  appetite  of 
hearers.  Protracted  meetings  from  day  to  day,  and 
often  from  week  to  week,  are  making  demands  upon 
ministers,  which  no  human  power  can  sustain  ;  and, 
where  these  are  dispensed  with,  it  is  often  necessary  to 
introduce  something  tantamount,  in  other  forms,  to 
satisfy  the  suggestions  and  wishes  of  persons  so  in 
fluential  as  to  render  it  imprudent  not  to  attempt  to 
gratify  them.  In  the  soberest  congregations,  throughout 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  land,  these  importunate  and 
(without  unkindness,  I  am  disposed  to  add)  morbid 
minds  are  to  be  found, — often  in  considerable  numbers. 
Almost  every  where,  in  order  to  maintain  their  ground 
and  satisfy  the  taste  of  the  times,  labours  are  demanded 
of  ministers  in  these  two  denominations  enough  to  kill 
12* 


138  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

any  man  in  a  short  period.  It  is  as  if  Satan  had  come- 
into  the  world  in  the  form  of  an  angel  of  light,  seeming 
to  be  urging  on  a  good  work,  but  pushing  it  so  hard  as 
to  destroy  the  labourers  by  over-exaction. 

"  The  wasting  energies—the  enfeebled,  ruined  health 
-—the  frequent  premature  deaths — the  failing  of  ministers 
in  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational  connexions 
from  these  causes  all  over  the  country,  almost  as  soon 
as  they  have  begun  to  work — all  which  is  too  manifest 
not  to  be  seen,  which  every  body  feels  that  takes  any 
interest  in  this  subject — are  principally,  and  with  few 
exceptions,  owing  to  the  unnecessary  exorbitant  de 
mands  on  their  intellectual  powers,  their  moral  and  phy 
sical  energies.  And  the  worst  of  it  is,  we  not  only  have 
no  indemnification  for  this  amazing,  immense  sacrifice, 
by  a  real  improvement  of  the  state  of  religion,  but  the 
public  mind  is  vitiated :  an  unnatural  appetite  for  spu 
rious  excitements,  all  tending  to  fanaticism,  and  not  a 
little  of  it  the  essence  of  fanaticism,  is  created  and  nou 
rished.  The  interests  of  religion  in  the  land  are  actually 
thrown  backward.  It  is  a  fever,  a  disease  which  nothing 
but  time,  pains,  and  a  change  of  system  can  cure.  A 
great  body  of  the  most  talented,  best  educated,  most 
zealous,  most  pious,  and  purest  Christian  ministers  in 
the  country — not  to  disparage  any  others — a  body 
which  in  all  respects  will  bear  an  advantageous  com 
parison  with  any  of  their  class  in  the  world,  is  threaten 
ed  to  be  enervated,  to  become  sickly,  to  have  their 
minds  wasted,  and  their  lives  sacrificed  out  of  season, 
and  with  real  loss  to  the  public,  by  the  very  means 
which  prostrates  them,  even  though  we  should  leave 
out  of  the  reckoning  the  premature  end  to  which  they 
are  brought.  This  spectacle,  at  this  moment  before  the 
eyes  of  the  wide  community,  is  enough  to  fill  the  mind 
of  an  enlightened  Christian  with  dismay.  I  have  myself 
been  thrown  ten  years  out  of  the  stated  use  of  the  min 
istry  by  this  very  course,  and  may,  therefore,  be  entitled 
to  feel  and  to  speak  on  the  subject.  And  when  I  see  my 
brethren  fallen  and  falling  around  me,  like  the  slain  in 
battle,  the  plains  of  our  land  literally  covered  with  these 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  139 

unfortunate  victims,  I  am  constrained  to  express  a  most 
earnest  desire,  that  some  adequate  remedy  may  be  ap 
plied." 

It  is  no  matter  of  surprise,  then,  that  I  heard  the  min 
isters  at  the  camp  meeting  complain  of  the  excess  of 
their  labours,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  young  men 
to  enter  the  church  :*  who,  indeed,  unless  actuated  by 
a  holy  zeal,  would  submit  to  such  a  life  of  degradation  ? 
what  man  of  intellect  and  education  could  submit  to  be 
schooled  by  shoemakers  and  mechanics,  to  live  poor, 
and  at  the  mercy  of  tyrants,  and  drop  down  dead  like 
the  jaded  and  over-laden  beast  from  excess  of  fatigue 
and  exertion  1  Let  me  again  quote  the  same  author: — 

"  It  is  these  excessive,  multitudinous,  and  often  long 
protracted  religious  occasions,  together  with  the  spirit 
that  is  in  them,  which  have  been  for  some  years  break 
ing  up  and  breaking  down  the  clergy  of  this  land.  It 
has  been  breaking  them  up.  It  is  commonly  observed, 
that  a  new  era  has  lately  come  over  the  Christian  con 
gregations  of  our  country  in  regard  to  the  permanence 
of  the  pastoral  relation.  Time  was  in  the  memory  of 
those  now  living  when  the  settlement  of  a  minister  was 
considered  of  course  a  settlement  for  life.  But  now,  as 
everybody  knows,  this  state  of  things  is  utterly  broken 
up ;  and  it  is,  perhaps,  true  that,  on  an  average,  the 
clergy  of  this  country  do  not  remain  more  than  five 
years  in  the  same  place.t  And  it  is  impossible  they 
should,  in  the  present  state  of  things.  They  could  not 
stand  it.  So  numerous  are  their  engagements ;  so  full 

*  The  Rev.  Mr.  Reid  observes,  speaking  of  the  Congregational- 
ists,  "When  I  rose  to  support  his  resolution,  as  requested,  all  were 
generously  attentive.  At  the  close  I  alluded  emphatically  to  one 
fact  in  the  report,  which  was,  that  out  of  4,500  churches  there 
were  2,000  not  only  void  of  educated  pastors,  but  void  of  pastors; 
and  I  insisted  that,  literally,  they  ought  not  to  sleep  on  such  a  state 
of  things." — Reid  and  Matheson's  Tour. 

f  "  I  was  sorry  to  find  that,  in  this  part  of  the  state,  the  ministers 
are  so  frequently  changing  the  scene  of  their  pastoral  labours.  The 
fault  may  sometimes  be  in  themselves ;  but,  from  conversations  I 
have  heard  on  the  subject,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  people 
are  fond  of  change." — Rev.  Mr.  Reid. 


140  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

of  anxiety  is  their  condition  in  a  fevered  state  of  the 
public  mind  acting  upon  them  from  all  directions ;  so 
consuming  are  their  labours  in  the  study  and  in  public, 
pressed  and  urged  upon  them  by  the  demands  of  the 
time;  and,  withal,  so  fickle  has  the  popular  mind  be 
come  under  a  system  that  it  is  forever  demanding  some 
new  and  still  more  exciting  measure — some  new  socie 
ty — some  new  monthly  or  weekly  meeting,  which  per 
haps  soon  grows  into  a  religious  holiday — some  spe 
cial  effort  running  through  many  days,  sometimes  last 
ing  for  weeks,  calling  for  public  labours  of  ministers,  of 
the  most  exciting  kind  throughout  each  day  from  the 
earliest  hour  of  the  morning  to  a  late  hour  of  night ; — 
for  reasons  and  facts  of  this  kind,  so  abundant,  and  now 
so  obvious  to  the  public  that  they  need  only  to  be  refer 
red  to  to  be  seen  and  appreciated,  it  is  impossible  that 
ministers  should  remain  long  in  the  same  place.  Their 
mental  and  physical  energies  become  exhausted,  and 
they  are  compelled  to  change  ;  first,  because  it  is  not  in 
the  power  of  man  to  satisfy  the  appetite  for  novelties 
which  is  continually  and  from  all  quarters  making  its 
insatiate  demands  upon  them  ;  and  next,  that,  if  possi 
ble,  they  may  purchase  a  breathing  time  and  a  tran 
sient  relief  from  the  overwhelming  pressure  of  their 
cares  and  labours. 

"  But,  alas  !  there  is  no  relief:  they  are  not  only  bn> 
ken  up,  but  they  find  themselves  fast  breaking  down. 
"Wherever  they  go,  there  is  the  same  demand  for  the 
same  scene  to  be  acted  over.  There  is — there  can  be 
— no  stability  in  the  pastoral  relation,  in  such  a  state 
of  the  public  mind ;  and,  what  is  still  more  melancholy 
and  affecting,  the  pastors  themselves  cannot  endure  it 
— they  cannot  live.  They  are  not  only  constantly 
fluctuating — literally  afloat  on  the  wide  surface  of  the 
community — but  their  health  is  undermined — their  spi 
rits  are  sinking — and  they  are  fast  treading  upon  each 
other's  heels  to  the  grave,  their  only  land  of  rest. 

*<  Never,  since  the  days  of  the  apostles,  was  a  coun 
try  blessed  with  so  enlightened,  pious,  orthodox,  faith 
ful,  willing  clergy,  as  the  United  States  of  America  at 


RELIGION    IN   AMERICA.  141 

this  moment ;  and  never  did  a  ministry,  so  worthy  of 
trust,  have  so  little  independence  to  act  according  to 
their  conscience  and  best  discretion.  They  are  liter 
ally  the  victims  of  a  spiritual  tyranny  that  has  started 
up  and  burst  upon  the  world  in  a  new  form — at  least, 
with  an  extent  of  sway  that  has  never  been  known. 
It  is  an  influence  which  comes  up  from  the  lowest  con 
ditions  of  life,  which  is  vested  in  the  most  ignorant 
minds,  and  therefore,  the  more  unbending  and  uncon 
trollable.  It  is  an  influence  which  has  been  fostered 
and  blown  into  a  wide-spread  flame  by  a  class  of  itine 
rating  ministers,  who  have  suddenly  started  up  and 
overrun  the  land,  decrying  and  denouncing  all  that 
have  not  yielded  al  once  to  their  sway  ;  by  direct  and 
open  efforts  shaking  and  destroying  public  confidence 
in  the  settled  and  more  permanent  ministry,  leaving 
old  paths  and  striking  out  new  ones,  demolishing  old 
systems  and  substituting  others,  and  disturbing  and  de 
ranging  the  whole  order  of  society  as  it  had  existed  be 
fore.  And  it  is  to  this  new  state  of  things,  so  harassing, 
so  destructive  to  health  and  life,  that  the  regular  minis 
try  of  this  country  (the  best  qualified,  most  pious,  most 
faithful,  and  in  all  respects  the  most  worthy  Christian 
ministry  that  the  Church  has  ever  enjoyed  in  any  age) 
are  made  the  victims.  They  cannot  resist  it,  they  are 
overwhelmed  by  it." 

The  fact  is,  that  there  is  little  or  no  healthy  religion 
in  their  most  numerous  and  influential  churches ;  it  is 
all  excitement.  Twenty  or  thirty  years  back  the  Me 
thodists  were  considered  as  extravagantly  frantic,  but 
the  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  in  the  United 
States  have  gone  far  a-head  of  them,  and  the  Metho 
dist  church  in  America  has  become  to  a  degree  Epis 
copal,  and  softened  down  into,  perhaps,  the  most  pure, 
most  mild,  and  most  simple  of  all  the  creeds  professed. 

I  have  said  that  in  these  two  churches  the  religious 
feeling  was  that  of  excitement :  I  believe  it  to  be  more 
or  less  the  case  in  all  religion  in  America ;  for  the  Ame 
ricans  are  a  people  who  are  prone  to  excitement,  not 
only  from  their  climate  but  constitutionally,  and  it  is 


142  RELIGION    IN    AMERICA. 

the  caviare  of  their  existence.  If  it  were  not  so,  why 
is  it  necessary  that  revivals  should  be  so  continually 
called  forth — a  species  of  stimulus,  common,  I  believe, 
to  almost  everysect  and  creed,  promoted  and  practised 
in  all  their  colleges,  and  considered  as  most  important 
and  salutary  in  their  results.  Let  it  not  be  supposed 
that  I  am  depreciating  that  which  is  to  be  understood 
by  a  revival  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word ;  not  those 
revivals  which  were  formerly  held  for  the  benefit  of  all 
and  for  the  salvation  of  many  :  I  am  raising  my  voice 
against  the  modern  system,  which  has  been  so  univer 
sally  substituted  for  the  reality;  such  as  has  been  so 
fully  exposed  by  Bishop  Hopkins,  of  Vermont,  and  by 
Mr.  Colton,  who  says — 

"  Religious  excitements,  called  revivals  of  religion, 
have  been  a  prominent  feature  in  the  history  of  this 
country  from  its  earliest  periods,  more  particularly 
within  a  hundred  years  ;  and  the  agency  of  man  has 
always  had  more  or  less  to  do  in  their  management,  or 
in  their  origination,  or  in  both.  Formerly  in  theory 
(for  man  is  naturally  a  philosopher,  and  will  always 
have  his  theory  for  every  event  and  every  fact),  they 
were  regarded  as  Pentecostal  seasons,  as  showers  from 
heaven,  with  which  this  world  below  had  nothing  to  do 
but  to  receive  and  be  refreshed  by  them  as  they  came. 
A  whole  community,  or  the  great  majority  of  them,  ab 
sorbed  in  serious  thoughts  about  eternal  things,  in 
quiring  the  way  to  heaven,  and  seeming  intent  on  the 
attainment  of  that  high  and  glorious  condition,  presents 
a  spectacle  as  solemn  as  it  is  interesting  to  contem 
plate.  Such,  doubtless,  has  been  the  condition  of 
many  communities  in  the  early  and  later  history  of 
American  revivals ;  and  it  is  no  less  true  that  the 
fruits  have  been  the  turning  of  many  to  God  and  his 
ways. 

"  The  revivals  of  the  present  day  are  of  a  very  different 
nature.*  There  are  but  two  ways  by  which  the  mind 

*  The  American  clergymen  are  supported  in  their  opinion  on 
tlie  present  revivals  and  their  consequences  by  Doctors  Reid  and 


RELIGION   IN    AMERICA.  143 

of  man  can  be  brought  to  a  proper  sense  of  religion — 
one  is  by  love,  and  the  other  by  fear ;  and  it  is  by  the 
latter  only  that  modern  revivals  become  at  all  effective. 
Bishop  Hopkins  says,  very  truly,- — "  Have  we  any  ex 
ample  in  the  preaching  of  Christ  and  his  apostles  of  the 
use  of  strong  individual  denunciation?  Is  there  one  sen 
tence  in  the  word  of  inspiration  to  justify  the  attempt 
to  excite  the  feelings  of  a  public  assembly,  until  every 
restraint  of  order  is  forgotten,  and  confusion  Jbecomes 
identified  with  the  word  of  God."*  Yet  such  are  the 
revivals  of  the  present  day  as  practised  in  America. 
Mr.  Colton  calls  them — "Those  startling  and  astounding 
shocks  which  are  constantly  invented,  artfully  and  habitu 
ally  applied,  under  all  the  power  of  sympathy,  and  of  a 
studied  and  enthusiastic  elocution,  by  a  large  class  of 
preachers  among  us.  To  startle  and  to  shock  is  their 
great  secret — their  power." 

The  same  author  proceeds  : — 

"  Religion  is  a  dread  and  awful  theme  in  itself.  That 
is,  as  all  must  concede,  there  are  revealed  truths  belong 
ing  to  the  category.  To  invest  these  truths  with  terrors 
that  do  not  belong  to  them,  by  bringing  them  out  in  dis 
torted  shapes  and  unnatural  forms  ;  to  surprise  a  tender 
and  unfortified  rnind  by  one  of  awful  import,  without  ex 
hibiting  the  corresponding  relief  which  Christianity  has 
provided;  to  frighten,  shock,  and  paralyse  the  mind  with 
alternations  and  scenes  of  horror,  carefully  concealing  the 
ground  of  encouragement  and  hope,  till  reason  is  shaken 
and  hurled  from  its  throne,  for  the  sake  of  gaining  a 

Matheson,  who,  otherwise  favourable  to  them,  observe,  "  These 
revival  preachers  have  denounced  pastors  with  whom  they  could 
not  compare,  as  '  dumb  dogs,  hypocrites,  and  formalists,  leading 
their  people  to  hell.'  The  consequences  have  been  most  disastrous. 
Churches  have  become  the  sport  of  derision,  distraction,  and  dis 
order.  Pastors  have  been  made  unhappy  in  their  dearest  connex 
ions.  So  extensive  has  been  this  evil  that,  in  one  presbytery  of 
nineteen  churches,  there  were  only  three  who  had  settled  pastors; 
and  in  one  synod,  of  1832,  of  a  hundred  and  three  churches,  only 
fifty-two  had  pastors." 

*  "The  Primitive  Church  Compared,  &c.,"  by  the  Bishop  of 
Vermont. 


144  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

convert,  and  in  making  a  convert  to  make  a  maniac  (as 
doubtless  sometimes  occurs  under  this  mode  of  preach 
ing,  for  we  have  the  proof  of  it),  involves  a  fearful 
responsibility.  I  have  just  heard  of  an  interesting  girl 
thus  driven  to  distraction,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  at 
the  tender  age  of  fourteen,  by  being  approached  by  the 
preacher  after  a  sermon  of  this  kind,  with  a  secretary  by 
his  side  with  a  book  and  pen  in  his  hand  to  take  down 
the  names  and  answers  of  those  who,  by  invitation, 
remained  to  be  conversed  with.  Having  taken  her  name, 
the  preacher  asked,  •  Are  you  for  God  or  the  devil  ?' 
Being  overcome,  her  head  depressed,  and  in  tears,  she 
made  no  reply.  '  Put  her  down,  then,  in  the  devil's 
book !'  said  the  preacher  to  his  secretary.  From  that 
time  the  poor  girl  became  insane ;  and,  in  her  simplicity 
and  innocence,  has  been  accustomed  to  tell  the  story  of 
her  misfortunes." 

And  yet  these  revivals  are  looked  up  to  and  supported 
as  the  strong  arm  of  religion.  It  is  not  only  the  igno 
rant  or  the  foolish,  but  the  enlightened  and  the  educated 
also,  who  support  and  encourage  them,  either  from  a 
consideration  of  their  utility,  or  from  that  fear,  so  uni 
versal  in  the  United  States,  of  expressing  an  opinion 
contrary  to  the  majority.  How  otherwise  could  they  be 
introduced  once  or  twice  a  year  into  all  the  colleges — 
the  professors  of  which  are  surely  most  of  them  men  of 
education  and  strong  mind?  Yet  such  is  the  fact.  It  is 
announced  that  some  minister,  peculiarly  gifted  to  work 
in  revivals,  is  to  come  on  a  certain  day.  Books  are 
thrown  on  one  side,  study  is  abandoned,  and  ten  days 
perhaps  are  spent  in  religious  exercises  of  the  most  vio 
lent  and  exciting  character.  It  is  a  scene  of  strange 
confusion,  some  praying,  some  pretending  to  pray,  some 
scoffing.  Day  after  day  it  is  carried  on,  until' the  ex 
citement  is  at  its  height,  as  the  exhortations  and  the 
denunciations  of  the  preacher  are  poured  into  their  ears. 
A  young  American  who  was  at  one  of  the  colleges,  and 
gave  me  a  full  detail  of  what  had  occurred,  told  me  that 
on  one  occasion  a  poor  lad,  frightened  out  of  his  senses, 
and  anxious  to  pray,  as  the  vengeance  and  wrath  of  the 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  145 

Almighty  was  poured  out  by  the  minister,  sunk  down 
upon  his  knees  and  commenced  his  prayer  with  "Al 
mighty  and  diabolical  God  !"  No  misnomer,  if  what 
the  preacher  had  thundered  out  was  the  truth. 

As  an  example  of  the  interference  of  the  laity,  and  of 
the  description  of  people  who  may  be  so  authorised,  the 
same  gentleman  told  me  that  at  one  revival  a  deacon  said 

to  him  previous  to  the  meeting,  "  Now,  Mr.  ,  if 

you  don't  take  advantage  of  this  here  revival  and  lay  up 
a  little  salvation  for  your  soul,  all  I  can  say  is,  that 
vou  ought  to  have  your  (something)  confoundedly  well 
kicked." 

What  I  have  already  said  on  this  subject  will,  I  think, 
establish  two  points,  first,  that  the  voluntary  system  does 
not  work  well  for  society  ;  and  secondly,  that  the  minis 
ters  of  the  churches  are  treated  with  such  tyranny  and 
contumely,  as  to  warrant  the  assertion,  that  in  a  country, 
like  the  United  States,  where  a  man  may,  in  any  other 
profession,  become  independent  in  a  few  years,  the 
number  of  those  who  enter  into  the  ministry  must  de 
crease  at  the  very  time  that  the  population  and  demand 
for  them  will  increase. 

We  have  now  another  question  to  be  examined,  and  a 
very  important  one,  which  is — Are  those  who  worship 
under  the  voluntary  system  supplied  at  a  cheaper  rate 
than  those  of  the  established  churches  in  this  kingdom  ? 

I  say  this  is  an  important  question,  as  there  is  no 
doubt  that  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  dissenting  has 
been  the  taxes  upon  religion  in  this  country,  and  the 
wish,  if  it  were  attainable  of  worshipping  at  free  cost. 
In  entering  into  this  question,  there  is  no  occasion  to 
refer  to  any  particular  sect,  as  the  system  is  much  the 
same  with  them  all,  and  is  nearly  as  follows: 

Some  pious  and  well-disposed  people  of  a  certain  per 
suasion,  we  will  say,  imagine  that  another  church  might, 
if  it  were  built,  be  well  filled  with  those  of  their  own 
sect ;  and  that,  if  it  is  not  built,  the  consequences  will 
be  that  many  of  their  own  persuasion  will,  from  the  habit 
of  attending  other  churches,  depart  from  those  tenets 

VOL.  11.  13 


146  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

which  they  are  anxious  should  not  only  be  retained  by 
those  who  have  embraced  them,  but  as  much  as  possi 
ble  promulgated,  so  as  to  gather  strength  and  make  con 
verts — for  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  sectarian 
spirit  is  one  great  cause  of  the  rapid  church-building  in 
America.*  One  is  of  Paul,  another  of  Apollos.  They 
meet,  and  become  the  future  deacons  and  elders,  in  all 
probability,  to  whom  the  minister  has  to  bow ;  they 
agree  to  build  a  church  at  their  own  risk  :  they  are 
not  speculators,  but  religious  people,  who  have  not  the 
least  wish  to  make  money,  but  who  are  prepared,  if  ne 
cessary,  to  Jose  it. 

Say  then  that  a  handsome  church  (I  am  referring  to 
the  cities)  of  brick  or  stone,  is  raised  in  a  certain  quar 
ter  of  the  city,  and  that  it  costs  75,000  dollars.  When 
the  interior  is  complete,  and  the  pews  are  all  built,  they 
divide  the  whole  cost  of  the  church  upon  the  pews,  more 
or  less  value  being  put  upon  them  according  to  their 
situations.  Allowing  that  there  are  two  hundred  pews, 
the  one  hundred  most  eligible  being  valued  at  five  hun 
dred  dollars  each,  and  the  other  one  hundred  inferior  at 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ;  these  prices  would  pay  the 
75,000  dollars,  the  whole  expense  of  the  church  building. 

The  pews  are  then  put  up  to  auction  ;  some  of  the 
most  eligible  will  fetch  higher  prices  than  the  valuation, 
while  some  are  sold  below  the  valuation.  If  all  are  not 
sold,  the  residue  remains  upon  the  hands  of  the  parties 
who  built  the  church,  and  who  may  for  a  time  be  out  of 
pocket.  They  have  however,  to  aid  them,  the  extra 
price  paid  for  the  best  pews,  and  the  sale  of  the  vaults 
for  burial  in  the  church-yard. 

Most  of  the  pews  being  sold,  the  church  is  partly  paid 
for.  The  next  point  is  to  select  a  minister,  and,  after 
due  trial,  one  is  chosen.  If  he  be  a  man  of  eloquence 
and  talent,  and  his  doctrines  acceptable  to  the  many,  the 
church  fills,  the  remainder  of  the  pews  are  sold,  and  so 


*  Churclies  are  also  built  upon  speculation,  as  they  sometimes 
are  in  England. 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  147 

far  the  expenses  of  building  the  church  are  defrayed ; 
but  they  have  still  to  pay  the  salary  of  the  minister,  the 
heating  and  lighting  of  the  church,  the  organist,  and  the 
vocalists  :  this  is  done  by  an  assessment  upon  the  pews, 
each  pew  being  assessed  according  to  the  sum  which  it 
fetched  when  sold  by  auction. 

I  will  now  give  the  exact  expenses  of  an  American 
gentleman  in  Boston,  who  has  his  pew  in  one  of  the 
largest  churches. 

He  purchased  his  pew  at  auction  for  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,  it.  being  one  of  the  best  in  the  church. 
The  salaries  of  the  most  popular  ministers  vary  from 
fifteen  hundred  to  three  or  four  thousand  dollars.  The 
organist  receives  about  five  hundred  ;  the  vocalists  from 
two  or  three  hundred  dollars  each.  To  meet  his  share 
of  these  and  the  other  expenses,  the  assessment  of  this 
gentleman  is  sixty-three  dollars  per  annum.  Now,  the 
interest  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  America 
is  forty-five  dollars,  and  the  assessment  being  sixty-three 
— one  hundred  and  eight  dollars  per  annum,  or  twenty- 
two  pounds  ten  shillings  sterling  for  his  yearly  expenses 
under  the  voluntary  system.  This,  of  course,  does  not 
include  the  offerings  of  the  plate,  charity  sermons,  &c., 
all  of  which  are  to  be  added,  and  which  will  swell  the 
sum,  according  to  my  friend's  statement,  to  about  thirty 
pounds  her  annum.* 

It  does  not  appear  by  the  above  calculations  that  the 
voluntary  system  has  cheapness  to  recommend  it,  when 
people  worship  in  a  respectable  manner,  as  you  might 
hire  a  house  and  farm  of  fifty  acres  in  that  State  for  the 
same  rent  which  this  gentleman  pays  for  going  to 
church  ;  but  it  must  also  be  recollected  that  it  is  quite 

*  "  A  great  evil  of  our  American  churches  is,  their  great  respect- 
ability  or  exclusivencss.  Here,  being  of  a  large  size  and  paid  by 
Government,  the  church  is  open  to  all  the  citizens,  with  an  equal 
right  and  equal  chance  of  accommodation.  In  ours,  the  dearncss 
of  pew-rent,  especially  in  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian,  turns  po 
verty  out  of  doors.  Poor  people  have  a  sense  of  shame,  and  I  know 
many  a  one,  who,  because  he  cannot  go  to  Heaven  decently,  will 
not  go  at  all." — Sketches  of  Paris  by  an  American  Gentleman, 


148  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

optional,  and  that  those  who  do  not  go  to  church  need 
not  pay  at  all. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  late  years  that  such  was 
the  case.  In  Massachusetts,  and  in  most  of  the  Eastern 
States,  the  system  was  not  voluntary,  and  it  is  to  this 
cause  that  may  be  ascribed  the  superior  morality  and 
reverence  for  religion  still  existing,  although  decaying, 
in  these  States.  By  former  enactments  in  Massachu 
setts,  landowners  in  the  country  were  compelled  to  con 
tribute  to  the  support  of  the  church. 

Pews  in  cities  or  towns  are  mentioned  in  all  deeds 
and  wills  as  personal  property;  but  in  the  country,  be 
fore  the  late  Act,  they  were  considered  as  real  estate. 

A  pew  was  allotted  to  each  farm,  and  whether  the 
proprietor  occupied  it  or  not,  he  was  obliged  to  pay  for 
it ;  but  by  an  Act  of  the  Massachusetts'  State  regula 
tion,  passed  within  these  few  years,  it  was  decided  that 
no  man  should  be  compelled  to  pay  for  religion.  The 
consequence  has  been,  that  the  farmers  now  refuse  to 
pay  for  their  pews,  the  churches  are  empty,  and  a  por 
tion  of  the  clergy  have  been  reduced  to  the  greatest 
distress.  An  itinerant  ranter,  who  will  preach  in  the 
open  air,  and  send  his  hat  round  for  cents,  suits  the 
farmers  much  better,  as  it  is  much  cheaper.  Certainly 
this  does  not  argue  much  for  the  progressive  advance 
ment  of  religion,  even  in  the  moral  State  of  Massachu 
setts. 

In  other  points  the  cause  of  morality  has,  till  lately, 
been  upheld  in  these  Eastern  States.  It  was  but  the 
other  day  that  a  man  was  discharged  from  prison,  who 
had  been  confined  for  disseminating  atheistical  doctrines. 
It  was,  however,  said  at  the  time,  that  that  was  the  last 
attempt  that  would  ever  be  made  by  the  authorities  to 
imprison  a  man  for  liberty  of  conscience ;  and  I  believe 
that  such  will  be  the  case. 

The  Boston  Advocate  says — "  Abner  Kneeland  came 
out  of  prison  yesterday,  where  he  has  been  for  sixty 
days,  under  the  barbarous  and  bigoted  law  of  Massa 
chusetts,  which  imprisons  men  for  freedom  of  opinions. 
As  was  to  have  been  expected,  Kneeland's  liberation 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  149 

u-as  made  a  sort  of  triumph.  About  three  hundred 
persons  assembled,  and  were  addressed  by  him  at  the 
jail,  and  he  was  conveyed  home  in  a  barouche.  During 
his  persecution  in  prison,  liberal  sums  of  money  have 
been  sent  to  him.  How  much  has  Christianity  gained 
by  this  foul  blot  upon  the  escutcheon  of  Massachu 
setts  7" 

It  is,  however,  worthy  of  remark,  that  those  States 
that  have  enforced  religion  and  morality,  and  have 
punished  infidelity,*  are  now  the  most  virtuous,  the 
most  refined,  and  the  most  intellectual,  and  are  quoted 
as  such  by  American  authors,  like  Mr.  Carey,  who  by 
the  help  of  Massachusetts  alone  can  bring  out  his  sta 
tistics  to  any  thing  near  the  mark  requisite  to  support 
his  theories. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  the  voluntary  system  will  never 
work  well  under  any  form  of  government,  and  still  less 
so  under  a  democracy. 

Those  who  live  under  a  democracy  have  but  one  pur 
suit,  but  one  object  to  gain,  which  is  wealth.  No  one 
can  serve  God  and  Mammon.  To  suppose  that  a  man 
who  has  been  in  such  ardent  pursuit  of  wealth,  as  is  the 
American  for  six  days  in  the  week,  can  recall  his  atten 
tion  and  thoughts  to  serious  points  on  the  seventh,  is 
absurd  ;  you  might  as  well  expect  him  to  forget  his  to 
bacco  on  Sunday. 

Under  a  democracy,  therefore,  you  must  look  for  reli 
gion  among  the  women,  not  among  the  men,  and  such 
is  found  to  be  the  case  in  the  United  States.  As  Sam 
Slick  very  truly  says,  "  It's  only  women  who  attend 
meeting ;  the  men  folks  have  their  politics  and  trade  to 
talk  over,  and  hav'n't  lime'''  Even  an  established 
church  would  not  make  people  as  religious  under  a  de- 

*  Miss  Martineau  complains  of  this  as  contrary  to  the  unaliena- 
ble  rights  of  tnan  : — "Instead  of  this,  we  find  laws  framed  against 
speculative  atheists;  opprobrium  directed  against  such  as  embrace 
natural  religion  otherwise  than  through  Christianity,  and  a  yet 
more  bitter  oppression  exercised  by  those  who  view  Christianity  in 
one  way  over  those  who  regard  it  in  another." 
13* 


150  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

mocratic  form  of  government  as  it  would  under  any 
other.* 

I  have  yet  to  point  out  how  slander  and  defamation 
flourish  under  a  democracy.  Now,  this  voluntary  sys 
tem,  from  the  interference  of  the  laity,  who  judge  not 
only  the  minister,  but  the  congregation,  gives  what  ap 
pears  to  be  a  legitimate  sanction  to  this  tyrannical  sur 
veillance  over  the  conduct  and  behaviour  of  others.  I 
really  believe  that  the  majority  of  men  who  go  to  church 
in  America  do  so  not  from  zeal  towards  God,  but  from 
fear  of  their  neighbours;  and  this  very  tyranny  in  the 
more  established  persuasions,  is  the  cause  of  thousands 
turning  away  to  other  sects  which  are  not  subjected  to 
scrutiny.  The  Unitarian  is  in  this  point  the  most  con 
venient,  and  is  therefore  fast  gaining  ground.  Mr.  Col- 
ton  observes,  "  Nothing  can  be  more  clear,  than  that 
Scripture  authority  against  meddling,  tattling,  slander, 
scandal,  or  in  any  way  interfering  with  the  private  con 
cerns,  conduct,  and  character  of  our  neighbours,  except 
as  civil  or  ecclesiastical  authority  has  clothed  us  with 
legitimate  powers,  is  specific,  abundant,  decided,  em 
phatic.  It  is  founded  in  human  nature;  it  is  essential  to 
the  peace  of  society ;  a  departure  from  it  would  be 
ruinous  to  social  comfort.  If  therefore  it  is  proper  to 
introduce  any  rule  on  this  point  into  a  mutual  church 
covenant,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  converse  of  that  which 
is  usually  found  in  that  place  ought  to  be  substituted. 
Even  the  apostles,  as  we  have  seen,  found  it  necessary 
to  rebuke  the  disposition  prevalent  in  their  time  to  med 
dle  with  the  affairs,  and  to  make  inquisition  into  the  con 
duct  of  others.  But  it  should  be  recollected,  that  the 
condition  of  Christians  and  the  state  of  society  then 

*  Mrs.  Trollope  observes,  "A  stranger  taking1  up  his  residence 
in  any  city  in  America  must  think  the  natives  the  most  religious 
people  upon  earth."  This  is  very  true  ;  the  outward  observances 
are  very  strict ;  why  so  will  be  better  comprehended  when  the 
reader  lias  finished  my  remarks  upon  the  country.  The  author  of 
Mammon  very  truly  observes,  that  the  only  vice  which  we  can 
practise  without  being-  arraigned  for  it  in  this  world,  and  at  the 
same  time  go  through  tbe/wms  of  religion,  is  covetousness. 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  151 

were  wicfely  different  from  the  same  things  with  us. 
Christianity  was  a  new  religion,  and  its  disciples  were 
generally  obnoxious.  They  were  compelled  by  their 
circumstances  to  associate  most  intimately ;  they  were 
bound  together  by  those  sympathies  and  ties,  which  a 
persecuted  and  suffering  class  always  feel,  independent 
of  Christian  affection.  Hence  in  part  we  account  for 
the  holy  and  exemplary  ardour  of  their  attachments  to 
their  religion  and  to  each  other.  But  even  in  these  cir 
cumstances,  and  under  these  especial  intimacies,  or 
rather,  perhaps,  on  account  of  them,  the  apostles  found 
it  necessary  to  admonish  them  against  the  abuse  of  that 
confidence  so  generally  felt  and  reciprocated  by  those 
who  confessed  Christ  in  those  unhappy  times  ;  an  abuse 
so  naturally  developed  in  the  form  of  meddling  and  pri 
vate  inquisition." 

I  quote  the  above  passage,  as,  in  the  United  States,  the 
variety  of  sects,  the  continual  splitting  and  breaking  up  of 
ihose  sects,  and  their  occasional  violent  altercations,  have 
all  proved  most  injurious  to  society,  and  to  the  cause  of 
religion  itself.  Indeed  religion  in  the  States  may  be  said 
to  have  been  a  source  of  continual  discord  and  the  unhing 
ing  of  society,  instead  of  that  peace  and  good-will  incul 
cated  by  our  divine  Legislator.  It  is  the  division  of  the 
Protestant  church  which  has  occasioned  its  weakness  in 
this  country,  and  will  probably  eventually  occasion,  if  not 
its  total  subversion,  at  all  events  its  subversion  in  the  west 
ern  hemisphere  of  America. 

The  subjugation  of  the  ministry  to  the  tyranny  of  their 
congregations  is  another  most  serious  evil ;  for  either  they 
must  surrender  up  their  consciences  or  their  bread.  In 
too  many  instances  it  is  the  same  here  in  religion  as  in  po 
litics  :  before  the  people  will  permit  any  one  to  serve  them 
in  any  office,  he  must  first  prove  his  un fitness  by  sub 
mitting  to  what  no  man  of  honesty  or  conscientious  rec- 
litude  woultl  subscribe  to.  This  must  of  course  in  both 
cases  be  taken  with  exceptions,  but  it  is  but  too  often  the 
fact.  And  hence  lias  arisen  another  evil,  which  is  that 
there  are  hundreds  of  self-constituted  ministers,  who  wan 
der  over  the  western  country,  using  the  word  of  God  as  a 


152  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

cloak,  working  upon  the  feelings  of  the  women  to  obtain 
money,  and  render  religion  a  by-word  among  the  men, 
who  will  in  all  probability  some  day  rise  up  and  lynch 
some  dozen  of  them,  as  a  hint  for  the  rest  to  clear  out. 

It  would  appear  as  if  Locofocoism  and  infidelity  had 
formed  a  union,  and  were  fighting  under  the  same  ban 
ner.  They  have  recently  celebrated  the  birth-day  of  Tom 
Paine,  in  Cincinnati,  New  York,  and  Boston.  In  Cin 
cinnati,  Frances  Wright  Darusmont,  better  known  as 
Fanny  Wright,  was  present,  and  made  a  violent  politico- 
atheistical  speech  on  the  occasion,  in  winch  she  denounced 
banking,  and  almost  every  other  established  institution  of 
the  country.  The  nature  of  the  celebration  in  Boston 
will  be  understood  from  the  following  toast  given  on  the 
occasion. 

By  George  Chapman  : — "  Christianity  and  the  banks 
tottering  on  their  last  legs.  May  their  downfall  be 
speedy,"  &c.  &c. 

Miss  Martineau  informs  us  that  •*  The  churches  of 
Boston,  and  even  the  other  public  buildings,  being  guarded 
by  the  dragon  of  bigotry,  so  that  even  Faith,  Hope,  and 
Charity  are  turned  back  from  the  doors,  a  large  building 
is  about  to  be  erected  for  the  use  of  all,  Deists  not  exeept- 
ed,  who  may  desire  to  meet  for  free  discussion.  She 
adds,  **  Thin  at  least  is  an  advance!"  And  in  a  few 
pages  further : — **  The  eagerness  in  pursuit  of  speculative 
truth  is  shown  by  the  rapid  sale  of  every  heretical  work. 
The  clergy  complain  of  the  enormous  spread  of  bold 
books,  from  the  infidel  tract  to  the  latest  handling  of  the 
miracle  question,  as  sorrowfully  as  the  most  liberal  mem 
bers  of  society  lament  the  unlimited  circulation  of  the  false 
morals  issued  by  certain  Religious  Tract  Societies.  Both 
testify  to  the  interest  taken  by  the  public  in  religion. 
The  love  of  truth  is  also  shown  by  the  outbreak  of  heresy 
in  all  directions  !" 

Having  slated  the  most  obvious  objections  to  the  vo 
luntary  system,  I  shall  now  proceed  to  show  how  far  rny 
opinions  are  corroborated  by  American  authorities.  The 
author  of  "  A  Voice  from  America,"  observes  very  truly, 
that  the  voluntary  system  of  supporting  religion  in  Ame- 


RELIGION   IN  AMERICA.  153 

rica  is  inadequate  to  the  purpose,  and  he  closes  his  argu 
ment  with  the  following  observation: — 

"How  far  that  part  of  ihe  system  of  supporting  reli 
gion  in  America,  which  appeals  to  the  pride  and  public 
spirit  of  the  citizens,  in  erecting  and  maintaining  religious 
institutions  on  a  respectable  footing,  in  towns,  cities,  and 
villages,  and  among  rival  sects — and  in  this  manner 
operating  as  a  species  of  constraint — is  worthy  to  be 
called  voluntary,  we  pretend  not  to  say.  But  this  com 
prehends  by  far  the  greatest  sum  that  is  raised  and  ap 
propriated  to  these  objects.  All  the  rest  is  a  mere 
fraction  in  comparison.  And  yet  it  is  allowed,  and  made 
a  topic  of  grievous  lamentation,  that  the  religious  wants 
of  the  country  are'mosi  inadequately  supplied  ;  and  such, 
indeed,  we  believe  to  be  the  fact." 

The  next  point  referred  to  by  this  author  is,  "  that  the 
American  system  of  supporting  religion  has  brought 
about  great  instability  in  the  religious  world,  and  induced 
a  ruinous  habit  of  change." 

This  arises  from  the  caprice  of  the  congregation,  for 
Americans  are  naiurally  capricious  and  fond  of  change  : 
whether  it  be  concerning  a  singer,  or  an  aclor,  or  a  cler 
gyman,  it  is  ihe  same  thing.  This  American  author  ob 
serves,  "  There  are  few  clergymen  that  can  support  their 
early  popularity  for  a  considerable  time  ;  and  as  soon  as 
it  declines,  they  must  be^in  to  think  of  providing  else 
where  for  themselves.  They  go — migrate — and  for  the 
same  reason,  in  an  equal  term  of  time,  they  are  liable  to 
bo  forced  to  migrate  again.  And  thus  there  is  no  stabi 
lity,  but  everlasting  change,  in  the  condition  of  the  Ame 
rican  clergy.  They  change,  the  people  change — all  is  a 
round  of  change — because  all  depends  on  the  voluntary 
principle.  The  clerical  profession  in  America  is,  in 
deed,  like  that  of  a  soldier:  always  under  arms,  fre 
quently  fighting,  and  always  ready  for  a  new  campaign 
— a  truly  militant  state.  A  Clergyman's  Guide  would 
be  of  little  use,  so  far  as  the  object  might  be  to  direct 
where  to  find  him  :  he  is  not  this  year  where  he  was 
last."  And.  as  must  be  the  consequence,  he  justly  ob 
serves,  "  Such  a  system  makes  the  clergy  servile,  and 


154  RELIGION   IN  AMERICA. 

the  people  tyrannical."  "  When  the  enmity  of  a  single 
individual  is  sufficient  to  destroy  a  resident  pastor's  peace, 
and  to  break  him  up,  how  can  he  be  otherwise  than  ser 
vile,  if  he  has  a  family  about  him,  to  whom  perpetual 
change  is  inconvenient  and  disastrous?  There  is  not  a 
man  in  his  flock,  however  mean  and  unworthy  of  influ 
ence,  whom  he  does  not  fear  ;  and  if  he  happens  to  dis 
please  a  man  of  importance,  or  a  busy  woman,  there  is 
an  end  to  his  peace ;  and  he  may  begin  to  pack  up.  This 
perpetual  bondage  breaks  down  his  mind,  subdues  his 
courage,  and  makes  a  timid  nervous  woman  of  one  who 
is  entitled,  and  who  ought  to  be,  a  man.  He  drags  out 
a  miserable  existence,  and  dies  a  miserable  slave.  There 
are  exceptions  to  this  rule,  it  is  true  ;  because  there  are 
clergymen  with  talent  enough  to  rise  above  these  disad 
vantages,  enforce  respect,  and  maintain  their  standing,  in 
spite  of  enemies." 

But  there  is  another  very  strong  objection,  and  most 
important  one,  to  the  voluntary  system,  which  I  have 
delayed  to  bring  forward;  which  is,  that  there  is  no 
provision  for  the  poor  in  the  American  voluntary  church 
system.  Thus  only  those  who  are  rich  and  able  to  afford 
religion  can  obtain  it.  At  present,  it  is  true  that  the  ma 
jority  of  the  people  in  America  have  means  sufficient  to 
pay  for  seats  in  churches,  if  they  choose  to  expend  the 
money  ;  but  as  America  increases  her  population,  so  will 
she  increase  the  number  of  her  poor ;  and  what  will  be 
the  consequence  hereafter,  if  this  evil  is  to  continue  ? 
The  author  I  am  now  quoting  from  observes,  "  At  best 
the  poor  are  unprovided  for,  and  the  talents  of  the 
clergy  are  always  in  the  market  to  the  highest  bidder.* 
There  have  been  many  attempts  to  remedy  this  evil,  in 
the  dense  population  of  cities,  by  setting  up  a  still  more 
voluntary  system,  called  *  free  churches,'  in  which  the 

*  This  is  true.  When  I  was  in  the  States  one  of  the  most  popu 
lar  preachers  quitted  his  church  at  Boston  to  go  to  New  York, 
where  he  was  offered  an  increase  of  salary  ;  telling  his  parishioners 
"  that  he  found  he  would  be  more  useful  elsewhere" — the  very 
language  used  by  the  laity  to  the  clergyman  when  they  dismiss 
Mm. 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  155 

pews  are  not  rented,  but  free  to  all.     But  they  are  uni 
formly  failures" 

Two  other  remarks  made  by  this  author  are  equally 
correct ;  first,  that  the  voluntary  system  tends  to  the 
multiplication  of  sects  without  end  ;  and  next,  that  the 
voluntary  system  is  a  mendicant  system,  and  involves  one 
of  the  worst  features  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  which  is, 
that  it  tends  to  the  production  of  pious  frauds.  But  I 
have  already,  in  support  of  my  arguments,  quoted  so 
much  from  this  book  that  I  must  refer  the  reader  to  the 
work  itself. 

At  present,  Massachusetts,  and  the  smaller  Eastern 
States,  are  the  strong-hold  of  religion  and  morality  ;  as 
you  proceed  from  them  farther  south  or  west,  so  does  the 
influence  of  the  clergy  decrease,  until  it  is  totally  lost  in 
the  wild  States  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  With  the 
exception  of  certain  cases  to  be  found  in  Western  Vir 
ginia,  Kentucky,  and  Ohio,  the  whole  of  the  States  to 
the  westward  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  comprising 
more  than  two-thirds  of  America,  may  be  said  to  be  either 
in  a  state  of  neglect  and  darkness,  or  professing  the  Ca 
tholic  religion. 

Although  Virginia  is  a  slave  State,  I  think  there  is 
more  religion  there  than  in  some  of  the  more  northern 
free  States  ;  but  it  must  be  recollected,  that  Virginia  has 
been  long  settled,  and  the  non-predial  state  of  the  slaves  is 
not  attended  with  demoralising  effects  ;  and  I  may  here 
observe  that  the  black  population  of  America  is  decidedly 
the  most  religious,  and  sets  an  example  to  the  white,  par 
ticularly  in  the  free  States.* 

*  Mr.  Reid,  in  his  Tour,  describes  a  visit  which  lie  paid  to  a  black 
church  in  Kentucky  : — 

"  By  the  law  of  the  State,  no  coloured  persons  are  permitted  to 
assemble  for  worship,  unless  a  white  person  be  present  and  preside. 

"  One  of  the  black  preachers,  addressing  me  as  their  '  strange 
master,'  begged  that  I  would  take  charge  of  the  service.  I  declined 
doing  so.  He  gave  out  Dr.  Watt's  beautiful  psalrn,  *  Show  pity, 
Lord,  oh  !  Lord  forgive.'  They  all  rose  immediately.  They  had 
no  books,  for  they  could  not  read  ;  but  it  was  printed  on  their 
memory,  and  they  sung-  it  off  with  freedom  and  feeling-. 

"  The  senior  black,  who  was  a  preacher  among  them,  then  of- 


1  56  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

It  may  be  fairly  inquired,  can  this  be  true  ?  Not  fifty 
years  back,  at  tlie  time  of  tiie  Declaration  of  Independence, 
was  not  the  American  community  one  of  the  most  vir 
tuous  in  existence  ?  Such  was  indeed  the  case,  as  it  is 
now  equally  certain  that  they  are  one  of  the  most  de 
moralised.  The  question  is,  then,  what  can  have  created 
such  a  change  in  the  short  period  of  fifty  years  ? 

The  only  reply  that  can  be  given,  is,  that  as  the  Ameri 
cans,  in  their  eagerness  to  possess  ne\v  lands,  pushed 
away  into  the  west,  so  did  they  leave  civilisation  behind, 
and  return  to  ignorance  and  barbarism  ;  they  scattered 
their  population,  and  the  word  of  God  was  not  to  be  heard 
in  the  wilderness. 

That  as  she  increased  her  slave  States,  so  did  she  givo 
employment,  land,  and  power  to  those  who  were  indif 
ferent  to  all  law,  human  or  divine.  And  as,  since  the 
formation  of  the  Union,  the  people  have  yearly  gained 
advantages  over  the  Government  until  they  now  control 
it,  so  have  they  controlled  and  fettered  Religion  until  it 
produces  no  good  fruits. 

Add  to  this  the  demoralising  effects  of  a  democracy 
which  turns  the  thoughts  of  all  to  Mammon,  and  it  will 
be  acknowledged  that  this  rapid  fall  is  not  so  very  sur 
prising. 

But,  if  the  Protestant  cause  is  growing  weaker  every 
day  from  disunion  and  indifference,  there  is  one  creed 
which  is  rapidly  gaining  strength  ;  I  refer  to  the  Catholic 
church,  which  is  silently,  but  surely  advancing.*  '  Its 

fered  prayer  and  preached;  his  prayer  was  humble  and  devotional. 
In  one  portion,  he  made  an  affecting1  allusion  to  their  wrong?. 
'Thou  knowest,'  said  the  good  man,  with  a  broken  voice,  'our* 
state — that  it  is  the  meanest — that  we  are  as  mean  and  low  as  man 
can  be.  But  we  have  sinned — we  have  forfeited  all  our  rights  to 
THEE,  and  we  would  submit  before  Thee,  to  these  marks  of  thy 
displeasure.'  " 

Mr.  Reid  subsequently  asserts,  that  the  sermon  delivered  by  the 
black  was  an  "  earnest  and  efficient  appeal ;"  and,  afterwards,  hear 
ing  a  sermon  on  the  same  day  from  a  white  preacher,  he  observes 
that  it  was  a  "cerz/  sorry  affair"  in  contrast  with  what  he  had  be 
fore  witnessed. 

*  Although  it  is  not  forty  years  since  the  first  Roman  Catholic 


RELIGION    IN    AMERICA.  157 

great  field  is  in  the  west,  where  in  some  States,  almost 
all  are  Catholics,  or  from  neglect  and  ignorance  altogether 
indifferent  as  to  religion.  The  Catholic  priests  are  dili 
gent,  and  make  a  large  number  of  converts  every  year, 
and  the  Catholic  population  is  added  to  by  the  number  of 
Irish  and  German  emigrants  to  the  West,  who  are  almost 
all  of  them  of  the  Catholic  persuasion. 

Mr.  Tocqueville  says — 

44 1  think  that  the  Catholic  religion  has  erroneously  been 
looked  upon  as  the  natural  enemy  of  democracy.  Among 
the  various  sects  of  Christians,  Catholicism  seems  to  me, 
on  the  contrary,  to  be  one  of  those  which  are  most  fa 
vourable  to  equality  of  conditions.  In  the  Catholic 
church,  the  religious  community  is  composed  of  only 
two  elements — the  priest  and  the  people.  The  priest 
alone  rises  above  the  rank  of  his  flock,  and  all  below 
him  are  equal.  On  doctrinal  points,  the  Catholic  faith 
places  all  human  capacities  upon  the  same  level.  It 
subjects  the  wise  and  the  ignorant,  the  man  of  genius 
and  the  vulgar  crowd,  to  the  details  of  the  same  creed ; 
it  imposes  the  same  observances  upon  the  rich  and  the 
needy ;  it  inflicts  the  same  austerities  upon  the  strong 
and  the  weak;  it  listens  to  no  compromise  with  mortal 
man ;  but,  reducing  all  the  human  race  to  the  same 
standard,  it  confounds  all  the  distinctions  of  society  at 
the  foot  of  the  same  altar,  even  as  they  are  confounded 
in  the  sight  of  God.  If  Catholicism  predisposes  the  faith 
ful  to  obedience,  it  certainly  does  not  prepare  them  for  in 
equality  ;  but  the  contrary  may  be  said  of  Protestant 
ism,  which  generally  tends  to  make  men  independent, 
more  than  to  render  them  equal." 

see  was  created,  there  is  now  in  the  United  States  a  Catholic  popa- 
lation  of  800,000  souls  under  the  government  of  the  Pope,  an  Arch 
bishop,  12  Bishops,  and  433  priests.  The  number  of  churches  is  401 ; 
mass-houses,  about  300;  colleges,  10;  seminaries  for  young  men, 
9  ;  theological  seminaries,  5;  noviciates  for  Jesuits,  monasteries,  and 
convents,  with  academies  attached,  31 ;  seminaries  for  young  ladies, 
30 ;  schools  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  29 ;  an  academy  for  coloured 
girls  at  Baltimore  ;  a  female  infant  school,  and  7  Catholic  news, 
papers. 

VOL.  IT.  14 


158  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

And  the  author  of  A  Voice  from  America  observes— 
"  The  Roman  Catholic  church  bids  fair  to  rise  to  im 
portance  in  America.  Thoroughly  democratic  as  her 
members  are,  being  composed,  for  the  most  part,  of  the 
lowest  orders  of  European  population,  transplanted  to 
the  United  States  with  a  fixed  and  implacable  aversion 
to  every  thing  bearing  the  name  and  in  the  shape  of 
monarchy,  the  priesthood  are  accustomed  studiously  to 
adapt  themselves  to  this  state  of  feeling,  being  content 
with  that  authority  that  is  awarded  to  their  office  by 
their  own  communicants  and  members."* 

Now,  I  venture  to  disagree  with  both  these  gentle 
men.  It  is  true,  as  Mr.  Tocqueville  observes,  that  the 
Catholic  church  reduces  all  the  human  race  to  the  same 
standard,  and  confounds  all  distinctions — not,  however, 
upon  the  principle  of  equality  or  democracy,  but  be 
cause  it  will  ever  equally  exert  its  power  over  the  high 
and  the  low,  assuming  its  right  to  compel  princes  and 
kings  to  obedience,  and  their  dominions  to  its  subjec 
tion.  The  equality  professed  by  the  Catholic  church, 
is  like  the  equality  of  death,  all  must  fall  before  its 
power ;  whether  it  be  to  excommunicate  an  individual 
or  an  empire  is  to  it  indifferent ;  it  assumes  the  power 

*  The  Rev.  Dr.  Reid  observes  :— 

"  I  found  the  people  at  this  time  under  some  uneasiness  in  re 
lation  to  the  spread  of  Romanism.  The  partisans  of  that  system  are 
greatly  assisted  from  Europe  by  supplies  of  money  and  teachers. 
The  teachers  have  usually  more  acquired  competency  than  the 
native  instructors  :  and  this  is  a  temptation  to  parents  who  are 
seeking  accomplishments  for  their  children,  and  who  have  a  high 
idea  of  European  refinements.  It  appeared,  that  out  of  four  schools, 
provided  for  the  wants  of  the  town  (Lexington,  Kentucky)  three 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  Catholics." 

To  which  we  may  add  Miss  Martineau's  observations  : — 

"  The  Catholics  of  the  country,  thinking  themselves  now  suffi 
ciently  numerous  to  be  an  American  Catholic  church,  a  great 
stimulus  has  been  given  to  prosclytisrn.  This  has  awakened  fear 
and  persecution;  which  last  has  again  been  favourable  to  the  in 
crease  of  the  sect.  While  the  Presbyterians  preach  a  harsh,  ascetic, 
persecuting  religion,  the  Catholics  dispense  a  mild  and  indulgent 
one;  and  the  prodigious  increase  of  their  numbers  is  a  necessary 
consequence.  It  has  been  so  impossible  to  supply  the  demand  for 
priests,  ihat  the  term  of  education  has  been  shortened  by  two  years." 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  159 

of  the  Godhead,  giving  and  taking  away,  and  its  mem 
bers  stand  trembling  before  it,  as  they  shall  hereafter 
do  in  the  presence  of  the  Deity. 

The  remark  of  the  author  of  the  Voice  from  America, 
"  that  aware  of  the  implacable  aversion  of  the  people  to 
monarchy,  the  priesthood  are  accustomed  studiously  to 
adapt  themselves  to  this  state  of  feeling"  proves  rather 
to  me  the  universal  subtlety  shown  by  the  Catholic 
clergy,  which,  added  to  their  zeal  and  perseverance,  so 
increases  the  power  of  the  church.  At  present  Catho 
licism  is,  comparatively  speaking,  weak  in  America,  and 
the  object  of  that  church  is,  to  become  strong ;  they  do 
not,  therefore,  frighten  or  alarm  their  converts  by  any 
present  show  of  the  invariable  results ;  but  are  content 
to  bide  their  time,  until  they  shall  find  themselves  strong 
enough  to  exert  their  power  with  triumphant  success. 
The  Protestant  cause  in  America  is  weak,  from  the  evil 
effects  of  the  voluntary  system,  particularly  from  its 
division  into  so  many  sects.  A  house  divided  against 
itself  cannot  long  stand ;  and  every  year  it  will  be  found 
that  the  Catholic  church  will  increase  its  power :  and  it 
is  a  question  whether  a  hierarchy  may  not  eventually 
be  raised,  which,  so  far  from  advocating  the  principles 
of  equality,  may  serve  as  a  check  to  the  spirit  of  demo 
cracy  becoming  more  powerful  than  the  Government, 
curbing  public  opinion,  and  reducing  to  better  order  the 
present  chaotic  state  of  society. 

Judge  Haliburton  asserts,  that  all  America  will  be  a 
Catholic  country.  That  all  America  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies  will  eventually  be  a  Catholic  country,  I  have 
no  doubt,  as  the  Catholics  are  already  in  the  majority, 
and  there  is  nothing,  as  Mr.  Cooper  observes,  to  pre 
vent  any  State  from  establishing  that,  or  any  other  reli 
gion,  as  the  Religion  of  the  State;*  and  this  is  one  of 
the  dark  clouds  which  hang  over  the  destiny  of  the 
western  hemisphere. 

*  "  There  is  nothing  in  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  to 
prevent  all  the  States,  or  any  particular  State,  from  possessing  an 
established  religion." — Cooper's  Democrat. 


160  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Reid  says : — "  It  should  really 
seem  that  the  Pope,  in  the  fear  of  expulsion  from  Eu 
rope,  is  anxious  to  find  a  reversion  in  this  new  world. 
The  crowned  heads  of  the  continent,  having  the  same 
enmity  to  free  political  institutions  which  his  holiness 
has  to  free  religious  institutions,  willingly  unite  in  the 
attempt  to  enthral  this  people.     They  have  heard  of  the 
necessities  of  the  West ;  they  have  the  foresight  to  see 
that  the  West  will  become  the  heart  of  the  country,  and 
ultimately  determine  the  character  of  the  whole ;  and 
they  have  resolved  to  establish  themselves  there.  Large, 
yea  princely,  grants  have  been  made  from  the  Leopold 
society,  and  other  sources,  chiefly,  though  by  no  means 
exclusively,  in  favour  of  this  portion  of  the  empire  that 
is  to  be.     These  sums  are  expended  in  erecting  showy 
churches  and  colleges,  and   in  sustaining  priests  and 
emissaries.     Every  thing  is  done  to  captivate,  and  to 
liberalise  in  appearance,  a  system  essentially  despotic. 
The  sagacity  of  the  effort  is  discovered,  in  avoiding  to 
attack  and  shock  the  prejudices  of  the  adult,  that  they 
may  direct  the  education  of  the  young.     They  look  to 
the  future;  and  they  really  have  great  advantages  in 
doing  so.     They  send  out  teachers  excellently  qualified ; 
superior,  certainly,  to  the  run  of  native  teachers.*  Some 
value  the  European  modes  of  education  as  the  more 
excellent,  others  value  them  as  the  mark  of  fashion ; 
the  demand  for  instruction,  too,  is  always  beyond  the 
supply,  so  that  they  find  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  the 
charge  of  Protestant  children.     This,  in  my  judgment, 
is  the  point  of  policy  which   should  be  especially  re 
garded  with  jealousy;  but  the  actual  alarm  has  arisen 
from  the  disclosure  of  a  correspondence  which  avows 
designs  on   the  West,  beyond  what   I  have  here   set 
down.     It  is  a  curious  affair,  and  is  one  other  evidence, 
if  evidence  were  needed,  that  popery  and  Jesuitism  are 
one." 


*  The  Catholic  priests  who  instruct  are  to  my  knowledge  the 
host  educated  men  in  the  States.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  be  in  their 
company. 


RELIGION  IN  AMERICA.  161 

I  think  that  the  author  of  Sam  Slick  may  not  be 
wrong  in  his  assertion,  that  all  America  will  be  a  Catho 
lic  country.  I  myself  never  prophesy  ;  but  I  cannot 
help  remarking,  that  even  in  the  most  anti-Catholic  per 
suasions  in  America  there  is  a  strong  Papistical  feeling  ; 
that  is,  there  is  a  vying  with  each  other,  not  only  to  ob 
tain  the  best  preachers,  but  to  have  the  best  organs  and 
the  best  singers.  It  is  the  system  of  excitement  which, 
without  their  being  aware  of  it,  they  carry  into  their  devo 
tion.  It  proves  that,  to  them  there  is  a  weariness  in  the 
church  service,  a  tedium  in  prayer,  which  requires  to  be 
relieved  by  the  stimulus  of  good  music  and  sweet  voices. 
Indeed,  what  with  their  anxious  seats,  their  revivals,  their 
music,  and  their  singing,  every  class  and  sect  in  the 
States  have  even  now  so  far  fallen  into  Catholicism,  that 
religion  has  become  more  of  an  appeal  to  the  senses 
than  to  the  calm  and  sober  judgment. 


14* 


162 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 


ALTHOUGH  in  a  democracy  the  highest  stations  and 
preferments  are  open  to  all,  more  directly  than  they  may 
be  under  any  other  form  of  government,  still  these  prizes 
are  but  few  and  insufficient,  compared  with  the  number 
of  total  blanks  which  must  be  drawn  by  the  ambitious 
multitude.  It  is,  indeed,  a  stimulus  to  ambition  (and  a 
matter  of  justice,  when  all  men  are  pronounced  equal), 
that  they  all  should  have  an  equal  chance  of  raising 
themselves  by  their  talents  and  perseverance;  but,  when 
so  many  competitors  are  permitted  to  enter  the  field,  few 
can  arrive  at  the  goal,  and  the  mass  are  doomed  to  dis 
appointment.  However  fair,  therefore,  it  may  be  to 
admit  all  to  the  competition,  certain  it  is  that  the  compe 
tition  cannot  add  to  the  happiness  of  a  people,  when  we 
consider  the  feelings  of  bitterness  and  ill-will  naturally 
engendered  among  the  disappointed  multitude. 

In  monarchical  and  aristocratical  institutions,  the  mid 
dling  and  lower  classes,  whose  chances  of  advancement 
are  so  small  that  they  seldom  lift  their  eyes  or  thoughts 
above  their  own  sphere,  are  therefore  much  happier,  and 
it  may  be  added,  much  more  virtuous  than  those  who 
struggle  continually  for  preferment  in  the  tumultuous  sea 
of  democracy.  Wealth  can  give  some  importance,  but 
wealth  in  a  democracy  gives  an  importance  which  is  so 
common  to  many  that  it  loses  much  of  its  value  ;  and 
when  it  has  been  acquired,  it  is  not  sufficient  for  the 
restless  ambition  of  the  American  temperament,  which 
will  always  spurn  wealth  for  power.  The  effects  there 
fore  of  a  democracy  are,  first  to  raise  an  inordinate  ambi 
tion  among  the  people,  and  then  to  cramp  the  very  ambi 
tion  which  it  has  raised ;  and,  as  I  may  comment  upon 
hereafter,  it  appears  as  if  this  ambition  of  the  people,  in- 
dividua'ly  checked  by  the  nature  of  their  institutions, 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS.  163 

becomes,  as  it  were,  concentrated  and  collected  into  a 
focus  in  upholding  and  contemplating  the  success  and 
increase  of  power  in  the  Federal  Government.  Thus 
has  been  produced  a  species  of  demoralising  reaction  ; 
the  disappointed  units  to  a  certain  degree  satisfying 
themselves  with  any  advance  in  the  power  and  import 
ance  of  the  whole  Union  wholly  regardless  of  the  means 
by  which  such  increase  may  have  been  obtained. 

But  this  unsatisfied  ambition  has  found  another  vent 
in  the  formation  of  many  powerful  religious  and  other 
associations.  In  a  country  where  there  will  ever  be  an 
attempt  of  the  people  to  tyrannise  over  every  body  and 
every  thing,  power  they  will  have ;  and  if  they  cannot 
obtain  it  in  the  various  departments  of  the  States'  Go 
vernments,  they  will  have  it  in  opposition  to  the  Go 
vernment  ;  for  all  these  societies  and  associations  con 
nect  themselves  directly  with  politics.*  It  is  of  little 
consequence  by  what  description  of  tie  these  "  sticks  in 
the  fable"  are  bound  up  together ;  once  bound  together 
they  are  not  to  be  broken.  In  America  religion  severs 
the  community,  but  these  societies  are  the  bonds  which 
to  a  certain  degree  reunite  it. 

To  enumerate  the  whole  of  these  societies  actually 
existing,  or  which  have  been  in  existence,  would  be 
difficult.  The  following  are  the  most  prominent. 

List  of  Benevolent  Societies,  with  their  Receipts  in  the 
year  1834. 

Dolls.  Cents. 
American   Board    of   Commissioners   for 

Foreign  Missions          ....     155,002  24 

*  "Not  long  afterwards,  a  prominent  Presbyterian  clergyman  of 
Philadelphia  thought  fit  to  preach  and  publish  a  sermon,  wherein 
it  was  set  forth  and  conclusively  proved,  that  on  such  and  such 
contingencies  of  united  religious  effort  of  the  religious  public,  the 
majority  of  the  American  people  could  be  made  religious  ;  conse 
quently  they  might  carry  their  religious  influence  to  the  polls, 
consequently  the  religious  would  be  able  to  turn  all  the  profane 
out  of  office ;  and  consequently,  the  American  people  would  become 
a  Christian  nation '." —Voice  from  America ,  by  an  American  Gen 
tleman. 


164 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 


Dolls.  Cents. 

American  Baptist  Board  of  Foreign  Mis 
sions             .                  ....  63,000  00 
Western  Foreign  Mission  Society  at  Pitts 
burgh,  Pennsylvania     ....  16,296  46 
Methodist  Episcopal  Missionary  Society  35,700  15 
Protestant  Episcopal  Foreign  and  Domes 
tic  Missionary  Society          .         .         .  26,007  97 
American  Home  Missionary  Society         .  78,911  24 
Baptist  Home  Missionary  Society     .         .  11,44828 
Board  of  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 

Church  (Domestic)        ....  5,572  97 
Board  of  Missions  of  the  General  Assem 
bly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  (Domes 
tic)  estimated 40,000  00 

American  Education  Society    .         .         .  57,122  20 
Board  of  Education  of  the  General  Assem 
bly  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches           .  38,000  00 
Northern  Baptist  Education  Society          .  4,681  11 
Board    of    Education    of   the    Reformed 

Dutch  Church 1,27020 

American  Bible  Society    ....  88,600  82 

American  Sunday  School  Union       .         .  136,855  58 
General     Protestant     Episcopal    Sunday 

School  Union 6,641  00 

Baptist  General  Tract  Society           .         .  6,126  97 

American  Tract  Society            .         .         .  66,485  83 

American  Colonization  Society          .         .  48,939  17 

Prison  Discipline  Society          .         .         .  2,364  00 

American  Seaman's  Friend  Society           .  16,064  00 

American  Temperance  Society         .         .  5,871  12 

Total     8,910,961  31 


Many  of  these  societies  had  not  been  established 
more  than  ten  years  at  the  date  given ;  they  must  have 
increased  very  much  since  that  period.  Of  course,  many 
of  them  are  very  useful,  and  very  well  conducted. 
There  are  many  others:  New  England  Non-resistance 
Society.  Sabbath  Observance  Society,  &c.;  in  fact,  the 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS.  165 

Americans  are  Society  mad.  I  do  not  intend  to  speak 
with  the  least  disrespect  of  the  societies,  but  the  zeal  or 
fanaticism  (if  I  may  use  the  term)  with  which  many,  if 
not  all,  of  them  are  carried  on,  is  too  remarkable  a  fea 
ture  in  the  American  character  to  be  passed  over  with 
out  comment.  Many  of  these  societies  have  done  much 
good,  particularly  the  religious  societies ;  but  many 
others,  from  being  pushed  too  far,  have  done  great  mis 
chief,  and  have  very  much  assisted  to  demoralise  the 
community.  I  remember  once  hearing  a  story  of  an 
ostler  who  confessed  to  a  Catholic  priest ;  he  enumerated 
a  long  catalogue  of  enormities  peculiar  to  his  profession, 
and  when  he  had  finished,  the  priest  inquired  of  him 
"  whether  he  had  ever  greased  horses'  teeth  to  prevent 
their  eating  their  corn  1"  this  peculiar  offence  not  having 
been  mentioned  in  his  confession.  The  ostler  declared 
that  he  never  had ;  absolution  was  given,  and  he  de 
parted.  About  six  months  afterwards,  the  ostler  went 
again  to  unload  his  conscience ;  the  former  crimes  and 
peccadilloes  were  enumerated,  but  added  to  them  were 
several  acknowledgments  of  having  at  various  times 
"  greased  horses'  teeth"  to  prevent  their  eating  their 
corn.  "  Ho — ho  !"  cried  the  priest,  "  why,  if  I  recollect 
right,  according  to  your  former  confession  you  had 
never  been  guilty  of  this  practice.  How  comes  it  that 
you  have  added  this  crime  to  your  many  others  1" 
"  May  it  please  you,  father,"  replied  the  ostler,  "  I  had 
never  heard  of  it,  until  you  told  me." 

Now  this  story  is  very  apropos  to  the  conduct  pur 
sued  by  many  of  these  societies  in  America  :  they  must 
display  to  the  public  their  statistics  of  immorality  and 
vice ;  they  must  prove  their  usefulness  by  informing 
those  who  were  quite  ignorant,  and  therefore  innocent, 
that  there  are  crimes  of  which  they  had  no  idea  ;  and 
thus,  in  their  fanatic  wish  to  improve,  they  demoralise. 
Such  have  been  the  consequences  among  this  excitable 
yet  well-meaning  people.  The  author  of"  A  Voice  from 
America"  observes  : — 

"  It  has  been  thought  suitable  to  call  the  attention  of 
mothers  and  daughters  over  the  wide  country  to  the 
condition  and  evils  of  brothels  and  of  common  prostitu- 


166  SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

tion,  in  towns  and  cities;  to  send  out  agents  (young 
men)  to  preach  on  the  subject;  and  to  organise  subsi 
diary  societies,  after  the  fashion  of  all  reforms.  The 
annual  report  of  4  The  New  York  Female  Moral  Re 
form  Society,'  for  1838  (a  very  decent  name  certainly 
for  the  object),  announces  361  auxiliaries,  and  20,000 
members,  with  16,500  subscribers  (all  females  !)  to  the 
'  Advocate  of  Moral  Reform,'  a  semi-monthly  paper, 
published  by  the  parent  society,  devoted  to  the  text  of 
the  seventh  commandment,  and  to  the  facts  and  results 
growing  out  of  its  violation.  This  same  class  of  reform 
ers  have  heretofore  been  accustomed  to  strike  off  prints 
of  the  most  unmentionable  scenes  of  these  houses  of 
pollution  in  their  naked  forms,  and  in  the  very  acts  of 
crime,  for  public  display,  that  the  public  might  know 
what  they  are :  in  other  words,  as  may  be  imagined,  to 
make  sport  for  the  initiated,  to  tempt  the  appetites  and 
passions  of  the  young,  who  otherwise  would  have 
known  little  or  nothing  about  it,  into  the  same  vortex 
of  ruin,  and  to  cause  the  decent  and  virtuous  to  turn 
away  with  emotions  of  ineffable  regret." 

I  cannot  here  help  inquiring,  how  is  it,  if  the  Ameri 
cans  are,  as  they  assert,  both  orally  and  in  their  printed 
public  documents,  a  very  moral  nation,  that  they  find  it 
necessary  to  resort  to  all  these  societies  for  the  improve 
ment  of  their  brother  citizens ;  and  how  is  it  that  their 
reports  are  full  of  such  unexampled  atrocities,  as  are 
printed  and  circulated  in  evidence  of  the  necessity  of 
their  stemming  the  current  of  vice  *  The  Americans 
were  constantly  twitting  me  about  the  occasional  cases 
of  adultery  and  divorce  which  appear  in  our  newspa 
pers,  assuring  me,  at  the  same  time,  that  there  was 
hardly  ever  such  a  thing  heard  of  in  their  own  moral 
community.  Now,  it  appears  that  this  subject  has  not 
only  been  taken  up  by  the  clergy,  (for  Dr.  Dwight,  late 
president  of  Yale  College,  preached  a  sermon  on  the 
seventh  commandment,  which  an  American  author  as 
serts  "  was  heard  with  pain  and  confusion  of  face,  and 
which  never  can  be  read  in  a  promiscuous  circle  without 
exciting  the  same  feelings ;")  but  by  one  of  their  socie 
ties  also ;  ancl,  although  they  have  not  assumed  the 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS.  167 

name  of  the  Patent  Anti-Adultery  Society,  they  are 
positively  doing  the  work  of  such  a  one,  and  the  details 
are  entered  into  in  promiscuous  assemblies  without  the 
least  reservation. 

The  author  before  mentioned  says  : — 

44  The  common  feeling  on  the  subject  has  been  de 
clared  false  delicacy ;  and,  in  order  to  break  ground 
against  its  sway,  females  have  been  forced  into  the  van 
of  this  enterprise ;  and  persuaded  to  act  as  agents,  not 
only  among  their  own  sex,  but  in  circumstances  where 
they  must  necessarily  agitate  the  subject  with  men,— 
not  wives  with  husbands,  which  would  be  bad  enough, 
but  young  and  single  women  with  young  and  single 
men!  And  we  have  been  credibly  informed,  that 
attempts  have  been  made  to  form  associations  among 
wives  to  regulate  the  privileges,  and  to  attain  the  end  of 
temperance,  in  the  conjugal  relation.  The  next  step, 
of  course,  will  be  tee-totalism  in  this  particular;  and,  as 
a  consequence,  the  extinction  of  the  human  race,  unless 
peradventure  the  failure  of  the  main  enterprise  of  the 
Moral  Reform  Society  should  keep  it  up  by  a  progeny 
not  to  be  honoured."* 

Let  it  be  remembered,  that  this  is  not  a  statement  of 
my  own ;  but  it  is  an  American  who  makes  the  asser 
tion,  which  I  could  prove  to  be  true,  might  I  publish 
what  I  must  not. 

From  the  infirmity  of  our  natures,  and  our  prone- 
ness  to  evil,  there  is  nothing  so  corrupting  as  the  statis 
tics  of  vice.  Can  young  females  remain  pure  in  their 
ideas,  who  read  with  indifference  details  of  the  grossest 
nature  ?  Can  the  youth  of  a  nation  remain  uncontami- 
nated  who  are  continually  poring  over  pages  describing 
sensuality,  and  will  they  not,  in  their  desire  of  "  some 
thing  new,"  as  the  prophet  says,  run  into  the  very  vices 
of  the  existence  of  which  they  were  before  unconscious  1 
It  is  this  dangerous  running  into  extremes  which  has 
occasioned  so  many  of  these  societies  to  have  been  pro 
ductive  of  much  evil.  A  Boston  editor  remarks— 
"  The  tendency  of  the  leaders  of  the  moral  and  bene- 

*  "  A  Voice  from  America." 


168  SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

volent  reforms  of  the  day  to  run  into  fanaticisms, 
threatens  to  destroy  the  really  beneficial  effects  of  all 
associations  for  these  objects.  The  spirit  of  propa- 
gandism,  when  it  becomes  over  zealous,  is  next  of  kin 
to  the  spirit  of  persecution.  The  benevolent  associa 
tions  of  the  day  are  on  the  brink  of  a  danger  that  will 
be  fatal  to  their  further  usefulness  if  not  checked." 

Of  the  Abolition  Society  and  its  tendency,  I  have 
already  spoken  in  the  chapter  on  slavery.  I  must  not, 
however,  pass  over  another  which  at  present  is  rapidly 
extending  its  sway  over  the  whole  Union,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  say  whether  it  does  most  harm  or  most  good 
— I  refer  to  the  Temperance  Society. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Reid  says — 

"  In  the  short  space  of  its  existence  upwards  of  seven 
thousand  Temperance  Societies  have  been  formed,  em 
bracing  more  than  one  million  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  members.  More  than  three  thousand  distil 
leries  have  been  stopped,  and  more  than  seven  thousand 
persons  who  dealt  in  spirits  have  declined  the  trade. 
Upwards  of  one  thousand  vessels  have  abandoned  their 
use.  And,  most  marvellous  of  all !  it  is  said  that  above 
ten  thousand  drunkards  have  been  reclaimed  from 
intoxication  ;"  and  he  adds,  "  I  really  know  of  no  one 
circumstance  in  the  history  of  this  people,  or  of  any 
people,  so  exhilarating  as  this.  It  discovers  that  power 
of  self-government,  which  is  the  leading  element  of  all 
national  greatness,  in  an  unexampled  degree."  Now 
here  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  a  traveller  taking  for 
granted  that  what  is  reported  to  him  is  the  truth.  The 
worthy  clergyman,  himself  evidently  without  guile, 
fully  believed  a  statement  which  was  absurd,  from  the 
simple  fact  that  only  one  side  of  the  balance  sheet  had 
been  presented. 

That  7,000  Temperance  Societies  have  been  formed 
is  true.  That  3,000  distilleries  have  stopped  from 
principle  may  also  be  true;  but  the  Temperance  Society 
Reports  take  no  notice  of  the  many  which  have  been 
set  up  in  their  stead  by  those  who  felt  no  compunction 
at  selling  spirits.  Equally  true  it  may  be  that  7,000 
dealers  in  spirits  have  ceased  to  sell  them ;  but  if  they 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS.  169 

have  declined  the  trade,  others  have  taken  it  up.     That 
the  crews  of  many  vessels  have  abandoned  the  use  of 
spirituous  liquors  is  also  the  fact,  and  that  is  the  greatest 
benefit  which  has  resulted  from  the  efforts  of  the  Tem 
perance  Society  ;  but  I  believe  the  number  to  be  greatly 
magnified.      That    10,000    drunkards    have    been    re 
claimed — that  is,  that   they  have   signed   papers   and 
taken  the  oath — may  be  true ;  but  how  many  have  fallen 
away  from  their  good   resolutions,  and  become  more 
intemperate  than  before,  is  not  recorded ;  nor  how  many 
who,  previously  careless  of  liquor,  have,   out  of  pure 
opposition,   and   in    defiance   of  the  Society,   actually 
become  drunkards,  is  also  unknown.     In  this  Society, 
as  in  the  Abolition  Society,  they  have  canvassed  for 
legislative  enactments,  and  have  succeeded  in  obtaining 
them.     The  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  which  State 
is  the  strong-hold   of  the   Society,  passed  an  act  last 
year,  by  which  it  prohibited  the  selling  of  spirits  in  a 
smaller  quantity  than  fifteen  gallons,  intending  thereby 
to  do   away  with  the  means  of  dram-drinking  at  the 
groceries,  as  they  are  termed ;  a  clause,  however,  per 
mitted  apothecaries  to  retail  smaller  quantities,  and  the 
consequence  was  that  all  the  grog-shops  commenced 
taking  out  apothecaries'  licences.     That  being  stopped, 
the  striped  pig  was  resorted  to :  that  is  to  say,  a  man 
charged  people  the  value  of  a  glass  of  liquor  to  see  a 
striped  pig,  which  peculiarity  was  exhibited  as  a  sight, 
and,   when  in  the   house,  the  visitors  were  offered  a 
glass  of  spirits  for  nothing.     But  this  act  of  the  legisla 
ture  has  given  great  offence,  and  the  State  of  Massa 
chusetts  is  now  divided  into  two  very  strange  political 
parties,  to   wit,  the  topers  and  the  tee-totallers.     It  is 
asserted  that,  in  the  political  contest  which  is  to  take 
place,  the  topers  will  be  victorious ;  and  if  so,  it  will  be 
satisfactorily  proved  that,  in  the  very  enlightened  moral 
State  of  Massachusetts,  the  pattern  of  the  Union,  there 
are  more  intemperate  than  sober  men. 

In  this  dispute  between  sobriety  and  inebriety  the 
clergy  have  not  been  idle:  some  denouncing  alcohol 
from  the  pulpit ;  some,  on  the  other  hand,  denouncing 

VOL.  n.  15 


170  SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

the  Temperance  Societies  as  not  being  Christians. 
Among  the  latter  the  Bishop  of  Vermont  has  led  the 
van.  In  one  of  his  works,  "  The  Primitive  Church,"  he 
asserts  that — 

"  The  Temperance  Society  is  not  based  upon  re 
ligious,  but  worldly  principles. 

"  That  it  opposes  vice  and  attempts  to  establish  virtue 
in  a  manner  which  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  word 
of  God,"  &c.  &c. 

His  argument  is  briefly  this  : — The  Scriptures  forbid 
drunkenness.  If  the  people  will  not  do  right  in  obe 
dience  to  the  word  of  God,  but  only  from  the  fear  of 
public  opinion,  they  show  more  respect  to  man  than 
God. 

The  counter  argument  is  : — The  Bible  prohibits  many 
other  crimes,  such  as  murder,  theft,  &c. ;  but  if  there 
were  not  punishments  for  these  offences  agreed  upon 
by  society,  the  fear  of  God  would  not  prevent  these 
crimes  from  being  committed. 

That  in  the  United  States  public  opinion  has  more 
influence  than  religion  I  believe  to  be  the  case ;  and 
that  in  all  countries  present  punishment  is  more  con 
sidered  than  future  is,  I  fear,  equally  true.  But  I  do 
not  pretend  to  decide  the  question,  which  has  occasioned 
great  animosities,  and  on  some  occasions,  I  am  in 
formed,  the  dismissal  of  clergymen  from  their  churches. 

The  tee-totallers  have  carried  their  tenets  to  a  length 
which  threatens  to  invade  the  rights  of  the  church,  for 
a  portion  of  them,  calling  themselves  the  Total  Absti 
nence  Society,  will  not  use  any  wine  which  has  alcohol 
in  it  in  taking  the  sacrament,  and  as  there  is  no  wine 
without  a  portion  of  alcohol,  they  have  invented  a 
harmless  mixture,  which  they  call  wine.  Unfortunately, 
many  of  these  temperance  societies,  in  their  zeal,  will 
admit  of  no  medium  party — you  must  either  abstain 
altogether,  or  be  put  down  as  a  toper. 

It  is  astonishing  how  obstinate  some  people  are,  and 
how  great  is  the  diversity  of  opinion.  I  have  heard 
many  anecdotes  relative  to  this  question.  A  man,  who  in 
dulged  freely,  was  recommended  to  join  the  society — 
"  Now,"  said  the  minister,  "you  must  allow  that  there  is 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATION'S.  171 

nothing  so  good,  so  valuable  to  man  as  water.  What  is 
the  first  thing  you  call  for  in  sickness  but  water?  What 
else  can  cool  your  parched  tongue  like  water?  What 
did  the  rich  man  ask  for  when  in  fiery  torments  1  What 
does  the  wretch  ask  for  on  the  rack  !  You  cannot  always 
drink  spirits,  but  water  you  can.  Water  costs  nothing, 
and  you  save  your  money.  Water  never  intoxicates,  or 
prevents  you  from  going  to  your  work.  There  is  nothing 
like  water.  Come  now,  Peter,  let  me  hear  your  opinion. 

"  Well  then,  sir,  I  think  water  is  very  good,  very  ex 
cellent  for  navigation." 

An  old  Dutchman,  who  kept  an  inn  at  Hoboken,  had 
long  resisted  the  attacks  of  the  temperance  societies,  until 
one  night  he  happened  to  get  so  very  drunk,  that  he  ac 
tually  signed  the  paper  and  took  the  oath.  The  next 
morning  he  was  made  acquainted  with  what  he  had  un 
consciously  done,  and,  much  to  the  surprise  of  his  friends, 
he  replied,  "  Well,  if  I  have  signed  and  sworn,  as  you  tell 
me  I  have,  I  must  keep  to  my  word,"  and  from  that  hour 
the  old  fellow  abstained  altogether  from  his  favourite 
schnaps.  But  the  leaving  off  a  habit  which  had  become 
necessary  had  the  usual  result.  The  old  man  took  to  his 
bed,  and  at  last  became  seriously  ill.  A  medical  man  was 
called  in,  and,  when  he  was  informed  of  what  had  occur 
red,  perceived  the  necessity  of  some  stimulus,  and  or 
dered  that  his  patient  should  take  one  ounce  of  French 
brandy  every  day. 

"  An  ounce  of  French  brandy,"  said  the  old  Dutchman, 
looking  at  the  prescription.  "  Well,  dat  is  goot ;  but 
how  much  is  an  ounce  ?"  Nobody  who  was  present  could 
inform  him.  "I  know  what  a  quart,  a  pint,  or  a  gill  of 
brandy  is,"  said  the  Dutchman  ;  "  but  I  never  yet  had  a 
customer  call  for  an  ounce.  Well,  my  son,  go  to  the 
schoolmaster;  he  is  a  learned  man,  and  tell  him  I  wish  to 
know  how  much  is  one  ounce." 

The  message  was  carried.  The  schoolmaster,  occupied 
with  his  pupils,  and  not  liking  the  interruption,  hastily, 
and  without  further  inquiries  of  the  messenger,  turned 
x>ver  his  Bonnycastle,  and  arriving  at  the  table  of  avoir 
dupois  weight,  replied,  "  Tell  your  father  that  sixteen 
drams  make  an  ounce.11 


172  SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

The  boy  took  back  the  message  correctly,  and  when  the 
old  Dutchman  heard  it,  his  countenance  brightened  up — "  A 
goot  physician,  a  clever  man — I  only  have  drink  twelve 
drams  a  day,  and  he  tells  me  to  take  sixteen.  I  have 
taken  one  oath  when  I  was  drunk,  and  I  keep  it ;  now 
dat  I  am  sober  I  take  anoder,  which  is,  I  will  be  very 
sick  for  de  remainder  of  my  days,  and  never  throw  my 
physic  out  of  the  window." 

There  was  a  cold-water  celebration  at  Boston,  on 
which  occasion  the  hilarity  of  the  evening  was  increased 
by  the  singing  of  the  following  ode.  Nobody  will  ven 
ture  to  assert  that  there  is  any  spirit  in  the  composition, 
and  judging  from  what  I  have  seen  of  American  manners 
and  customs,  I  am  afraid  that  the  sentiments  of  the  four 
last  lines  will  not  be  responded  to  throughout  the  Union. 

"  ODE. 
In  Eden's  green  retreats 

A  water-brook  that  played 
Between  soft,  mossy  seats 
Beneath  a  plane-tree's  shade, 

Whose  rustling  leaves 
Danced  o'er  its  brink, 
Was  Adam's  drink, 
And  also  Eve's. 

Beside  the  parent  spring 

Of  that  young  brook,  the  pair 
Their  morning  chaunt  would  sing  ; 
And  Eve,  to  dress  her  hair, 

Kneel  on  the  grass 
That  fringed  its  side, 
And  made  its  tide 
Her  looking-glass. 

And  when  the  man  of  God 

From  Egypt  led  his  flock, 
They  thirsted,;arid  his  rod 
Smote  the  Arabian  rock, 

And  forth  a  rill 
Of  water  gushed, 
And  on  they  rushed, 
And  drank  their  fill. 

Would  Eden  thus  have  smiled 

Had  wine  to  Eden  come  ? 
Would  Horeb's  parching  wild 

Have  been  refreshed  with  rum  ? 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS.  173 

And  had  Eve's  hair 
Been  dressed  in  gin, 
Would  she  have  been 

Reflected  fair  ? 

Had  Moses  built  a  still 

And  dealt  out  to  that  host, 
To  every  man  his  gill, 

And  pledged  him  in  a  toast, 

How  large  a  band 
Of  Israel's  sons 
Had  laid  their  bones 
In  Canaan's  land  ? 

1  Sweet  fields,  beyond  Death's  flood, 

Stand  dressed  in  living  green,' 
For,  from  the  throne  of  God, 
To  freshen  all  the  scene, 

A  river  rolls, 
Where  all  who  will 
May  come  and  fill 
Their  crystal  bowls. 

If  Eden's  strength  and  bloom 

Cold  water  thus  hath  given — 
If,  e'en  beyond  the  tomb, 
It  is  the  drink  of  heaven — 

Are  not  good  wells, 
And  crystal  springs, 
The  very  things 
For  our  hotels  ?" 

As  I  shall  return  to  the  subject  of  intemperance  in  my 
examination  of  society,  I  shall  conclude  this  chapter  with 
an  extract  from  Miss  Martineau,  whose  work  is  a  strange 
compound  of  the  false  and  the  true  : — "  My  own  convic 
tions  are,  that  associations,  excellent  as  they  are  for  me 
chanical  objects,  are  not  fit  instruments  for  the  achieve' 
ment  of  moral  aims  ;  that  there  has  been  no  proof  that  the 
principle  of  self-restrtiint  has  been  exalted  and  strength 
ened  in  the  United  Slates  by  the  Temperance  movement, 
while  the  already  too  great  regard  to  opinion,  and  sub 
servience  to  spiritual  encroachment,  have  been  much 
increased ;  and,  therefore,  great  as  may  be  the  visible 
benefit  of  the  institution,  it  may  at  length  appear  that 
they  have  been  dearly  purchased." 
15 


174 


LAW. 


THE  lawyers  are  the  real  aristocracy  of  America  ;  they 
comprehend  nearly  the  whole  of  the  gentility,  talent,  and 
liberal  information  of  the  Union.  Any  one  who  has  had 
the  pleasure  of  being  at  one  of  their  meetings,  such  as 
the  Kent  Club  at  New  York,  would  be  satisfied  that  there 
is  no  want  of  gentlemen  with  enlightened,  liberal  ideas  in 
the  United  States  ;  but  it  is  to  the  law,  the  navy,  and  the 
army,  that  you  must  chiefly  look  for  this  class  of  people. 
Such  must  ever  be  the  case  in  a  democracy,  where  the 
mass  are  to  be  led ;  the  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  the 
country,  and  the  habit  of  public  speaking,  being  essential 
to  those  who  would  preside  at  the  helm  or  assist  in  the 
evolutions  :  the  consequence  has  been,  that  in  every  era 
of  the  Union,  the  lawyers  have  always  been  the  most 
prominent  actors  ;  and  it  may  be  added  that  they  ever 
will  play  the  most  distinguished  parts.  Clay  and  Web 
ster  of  the  present  day  are,  and  all  the  leading  men  of  the 
former  generation  were,  lawyers.  Their  presidents  have 
all  been  lawyers,  and  any  deviation  from  this  custom  has 
been  attended  with  evil  results  ;  witness  the  elevation  of 
General  Jackson  to  the  presidency,  and  the  heavy  price 
which  the  Americans  have  paid  for  their  phantom  glory. 
The  names  of  Judge  Marshall  and  of  Chancellor  Kent 
are  well  known  in  this  country,  and  most  deservedly  so: 
indeed,  I  am  informed  it  has  latterly  been  the  custom  in 
our  own  law  courts,  to  cite  as  cases  the  decisions  of  many 
of  the  superior  American  judges — a  just  tribute  to  their 
discrimination  and  their  worth. 

The  general  arrangement  of  that  part  of  the  Ameri 
can  constitution  relating  to  the  judicature  is  extremely 
good,  perhaps  the  best  of  all  their  legislative  arrange 
ments,  yet  it  contains  some  great  errors ;  one  of  which 
is,  that  of  district  and  inferior  judges  being  elected,  as 


LAW.  175 

it  leaves  the  judge  at  the  mercy  of  an  excitable  and 
overbearing  people,  who  will  attempt  to  dictate  to  him 
as  they  do  to  their  spiritual  teacher.  Occasionally  he 
must  choose  whether  he  will  decide  as  they  wish,  or  lose 
his  situation  on  the  ensuing  election.  Justice  as  well  as 
religion  will  be  interfered  with  by  the  despotism  of  the 
democracy. 

The  Americans  are  fond  of  law  in  one  respect,  that 
is,  they  are  fond  of  going  to  law.  It  is  excitement  to 
them,  and  not  so  expensive  as  in  this  country.  It  is  a 
pleasure  which  they  can  afford,  and  for  which  they 
cheerfully  pay. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  very  firs-t  object  of  the 
Americans,  after  a  law  has  been  passed,  is  to  find  out 
how  they  can  evade  it :  this  exercises  their  ingenuity, 
and  it  is  very  amusing  to  observe  how  cleverly  they 
sometimes  manage  it.  Every  state  enactment  to  uphold 
the  morals,  or  for  the  better  regulation  of  society,  is  im 
mediately  opposed  by  the  sovereign  people. 

An  act  was  passed  to  prohibit  the  playing  at  nine 
pins,  (a  very  foolish  act,  as  the  Americans  have  so  few 
amusements) :  as  soon  as  the  law  was  put  in  force,  it  was 
notified  every  where,  "  Ten  pins  played  here,"  and  they 
have  been  played  every  where,  ever  since. 

Another  act  was  passed  to  put  down  billiard  tables, 
and  in  this  instance  every  precaution  was  taken  by 
an  accurate  description  of  the  billiard  table,  that  the 
law  might  be  enforced.  Whereupon  an  extra  pocket 
was  added  to  the  billiard  table,  and  thus  the  law  was 
evaded. 

When  I  was  at  Louisville,  a  bill  which  had  been 
brought  in  by  Congress,  to  prevent  the  numerous  acci 
dents  which  occurred  in  steam  navigation,  came  into 
force.  Inspectors  were  appointed  to  see  that  the  steam 
boats  complied  with  the  regulations ;  and  those  boats 
which  were  not  provided  according  to  law,  did  not  re 
ceive  the  certificate  from  the  inspectors,  and  were  liable 
to  a  fine  of  five  hundred  dollars  if  they  navigated  with 
out  it.  A  steam-boat  was  ready  to  start;  the  passen 
gers  clubbed  together  and  subscribed  half  the  sum,  (two 


176  LAW. 

hundred  and  fifty  dollars),  and  as  the  informer  was  to 
have  half  the  penalty,  the  captain  of  the  boat  went  and 
informed  against  himself  and  received  the  other  half; 
and  thus  was  the  fine  paid. 

At  Baltimore,  in  consequence  of  the  prevalence  of 
hydrophobia,  the  civic  authorities  passed  a  law,  that 
all  dogs  should  be  muzzled,  or,  rather,  the  terms  were, 
"  that  all  dogs  should  wear  a  muzzle,"  or  the  owner 
of  a  dog  not  wearing  a  muzzle,  should  be  brought  up 
and  fined ;  and  the  regulation  further  stated  that  any 
body  convicted  of  having  "  removed  the  muzzle  from 
off  a  dog  should  also  be  severely  fined."  A  man, 
therefore,  tied  a  muzzle  to  his  dog's  tail  (the  act  not 
stating  where  the  muzzle  was  to  be  placed).  One  of 
the  city  officers,  perceiving  this  dog  with  his  muzzle  at 
the  wrong  end,  took  possession  of  the  dog  and  brought 
it  to  the  Town-hall ;  its  master,  being  well  known,  was 
summoned,  and  appeared.  He  proved  that  he  had  com 
plied  with  the  act,  in  having  fixed  a  muzzle  on  the  dog ; 
and,  further,  the  city  officer  having  taken  the  muzzle 
off  the  dog's  tail,  he  insisted  that  he  should  be  fined 
five  dollars  for  so  doing. 

The  striped  pig,  I  have  already  mentioned;  but  were 
I  to  relate  all  I  have  been  told  upon  this  head,  it  would 
occupy  too  much  of  the  reader's  time  and  patience. 

The  mass  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  have 
certainly  a  very  great  dislike  to  all  law  except  their 
own,  i.  e.  the  decision  of  the  majority ;  and  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  it  is  not  only  the  principle  of  equali 
ty,  but  the  parties  who  are  elected  as  district  judges, 
that,  by  their  own  conduct,  contribute  much  to  that 
want  of  respect  with  which  they  are  treated  in  their 
courts.  When  a  judge  on  his  bench  sits  half  asleep, 
with  his  hat  on,  and  his  coat  and  shoes  off;  his  heels 
kicking  upon  the  railing  or  table  which  is  as  high  or 
higher  than  his  head ;  his  toes  peeping  through  a  pair  of 
old  worsted  stockings,  and  with  a  huge  quid  of  tobacco 
in  his  cheek,  you  cannot  expect  that  much  respect  will 
be  paid  to  him.  Yet  such  is  even  now  the  practice  in 
the  interior  of  the  Western  States.  I  was  much  amused 


LAW.  177 

at  reading  an  English  critique  upon  a  work  by  Judge 
Hall  (a  district  judge),  in  which  the  writer  says,  "  We 
can  imagine  his  honour  in  all  the  solemnity  of  his  flow 
ing  wig,"  &c.  &c.  The  last 'time  I  saw  his  honour  he 
was  cashier  to  a  bank  at  Cincinnati,  thumbing  Ameri 
can  bank-notes— dirtier  work  than  is  ever  practised  in 
the  lowest  grade  of  the  law,  as  any  one  would  say  if  he 
had  ever  had  many  American  bank-notes  in  his  posses 
sion. 

As  may  be  supposed,  in  a  new  country  like  America, 
many  odd  scenes  take  place.  In  the  towns  in  the  in 
terior,  a  lawyer's  office  is  generally  a  small  wooden 
house,  of  one  room,  twelve  feet  square,  built  of  clap 
board,  and  with  the  door  wide  open  ;  and  the  little 
domicile  with  its  tenant  used  to  remind  me  of  a  spider 
in  its  web  waiting  for  flies. 

Not  forty  years  back,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Al- 
]eghany  Mountains,  deer  skins  at  forty  cents  per  pound, 
and  the  furs  of  other  animals  at  a  settled  price,  were 
legal  tenders,  and  received  both  by  judges  and  lawyers 
as  fees.  The  lawyers  in  the  towns  on  the  banks  of  the 
Susquehanna,  where  it  appears  the  people  (notwith 
standing  Campbell's  beautiful  description)  were  ex 
tremely  litigious,  used  to  receive  all  their  fees  in  kind, 
such  as  skins,  corn,  whisky,  &c.  &c.,  and,  as  soon  as 
they  had  sufficient  to  load  a  raft,  were  to  be  seen  gliding 
down  the  river  to  dispose  of  their  cargo  at  the  first  fa 
vourable  mart  for  produce.  Had  they  worn  the  wigs  and 
gown  of  our  own  legal  profession,  the  effect  would 
have  been  much  more  picturesque. 

There  is  a  record  of  a  very  curious  trial  which  oc 
curred  in  the  State  of  New  York.  A  man  had  lent  a 
large  iron  kettle,  or  boiler,  to  another,  and  it  being  re 
turned  cracked,  an  action  was  brought  against  the  bor 
rower  for  the  value  of  the  kettle.  After  the  plaintiff's 
case  had  been  heard,  the  counsel  for  the  defendant  rose 
and  said — "  Mister  Judge,  we  defend  this  action  upon 
three  counts,  all  of  which  we  shall  most  satisfactorily 
prove  to  you. 

"  In  the  first  place,  we  will  prove,  by  undoubted  evi- 


178  LAW. 

dence,  that  the  kettle  was  cracked  when  we  borrowed 
it; 

"  In  the  second,  that  the  kettle,  when  we  returned  it, 
was  whole  and  sound ; 

"  And  in  the  third,  we  will  prove  that  we  never  bor 
rowed  the  kettle  at  all." 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  proving  too  much,  but  one 
thing  is  pretty  fairly  proved  in  this  case,  which  is,  that 
the  defendant's  counsel  must  have  originally  descended 
from  the  Milesian  stock. 

I  have  heard  many  amusing  stories  of  the  peculiar 
eloquence  of  the  lawyers  in  the  newly  settled  Western 
States,  where  metaphor  is  so  abundant.  One  lawyer 
was  so  extremely  metaphorical  upon  an  occasion,  when 
the  stealing  of  a  pig  was  the  case  in  point,  that  at  last 
he  got  to  "  corruscating  rays."  The  judge  (who  appear 
ed  equally  metaphorical  himself)  thought  proper  to  pull 

him  up  by  saying — "  Mr. ,  I  wish  you  would  take 

the  feathers  from  the  wings  of  your  imagination,  and 
put  them  into  the  tail  of  your  judgment." 

Extract  from  an  American  paper : 

"  Scene. — A  Court-house  not  fifty  miles  from  the  city 
of  Louisville — Judge  presiding  with  great  dignity — A 
noise  is  heard  before  the  door — He  looks  up,  fired  with 
indignation. — '  Mr.  Sheriff,  sir,  bring  them  men  in  here ; 
this  is  the  temple  of  liberty — this  is  the  sanctuary  of 
justice,  and  it  shall  not  be  profaned  by  the  cracking  of 
nuts  and  the  eating  of  gingerbread.'  " — Marblehcad 
Register. 

1  have  already  observed  that  there  is  a  great  error  in 
the  office  of  the  inferior  and  district  judges  being  elec 
tive,  but  there  are  others  equally  serious.  In  the  first 
place  the  judges  are  not  sufficiently  paid.  Captain  Ha 
milton  remarks — 

"  The  low  salaries  of  the  judges  constitute  matter  of 
general  complaint  among  the  members  of  the  bar,  both 
at  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  These  are  so  inade 
quate,  when  compared  with  the  income  of  a  well-em 
ployed  barrister,  that  the  State  is  deprived  of  the  advan 
tage  of  having  the  highest  legal  talent  on  the  bench. 
Men  from  the  lower  walks  of  the  profession,  therefore, 


LAW.  179 

are  generally  promoted  to  the  office ;  and  for  the  sake  of 
a  wretched  saving  of  a  few  thousand  dollars,  the  public 
are  content  to  submit  their  lives  and  properties  to  the 
decision  of  men  of  inferior  intelligence  and  learning. 

"  In  one  respect,  I  am  told,  the  very  excess  of  demo 
cracy  defeats  itself.  In  some  States  the  judges  are  so 
inordinately  under-paid,  that  no  lawyer  who  does  not 
possess  a  considerable  private  fortune  can  afford  to  ac 
cept  the  office.  From  this  circumstance,  something  of 
aristocratic  distinction  has  become  connected  with  it, 
and  a  seat  on  the  bench  is  now  more  greedily  coveted 
than  it  would  be  were  the  salary  more  commensurate 
with  the  duties  of  the  situation." 

The  next  error  is,  that  political  questions  are  permit 
ted  to  interfere  with  the  ends  of  justice.  It  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that,  not  long  ago,  an  Irishman,  who  had 
murdered  his  wife,  was  brought  to  trial  upon  the  eve  of 
an  election ;  and  although  his  guilt  was  undoubted,  he 
was  acquitted,  because  the  Irish  party,  which  were  so 
influential  as  to  be  able  to  turn  the  election,  had  declar 
ed  that,  if  their  countryman  was  convicted,  they  would 
vote  on  the  other  side. 

But  worst  of  all  is  the  difficulty  of  finding  an  honest 
jury — a  fact  generally  acknowledged.  Politics,  private 
animosities,  bribery,  all  have  their  influence  to  defeat 
the  ends  of  justice,  and  it  argues  strongly  against  the 
moral  standard  of  a  nation  that  such  should  be  the  case ; 
but  that  it  is  so  is  undoubted.*  The  truth  is  that  the  ju 
ries  have  no  respect  for  the  judges,  however  respectable 
they  may  be,  and  as  many  of  them  really  are.  The 
feeling  "  I'm  as  good  as  he"  operates  every  where. 
There  is  no  shutting  up  a  jury  and  starving  them  out  as 
with  us  ;  no  citizen,  "  free  and  enlightened,  aged  twenty- 
one,  white,"  would  submit  to  such  an  invasion  of  his 
rights.  Captain  Hamilton  observes — 

"  It  was  not  without  astonishment,  I  confess,  that  I 

*  Miss  Martineau,  speaking  of  the  jealousy  between  the  Ameri 
can  and  the  French  Creoles  says — "  No  American  expects  to  get  a 
verdict,  on  any  evidence,  from  a  jury  of  French  Creoles." 


180  LAW. 

remarked  that  three-fourths  of  the  jurymen  were  engag 
ed  in  eating  bread  and  cheese,  and  that  the  foreman 
actually  announced  the  verdict  with  his  mouth  full, 
ejecting  the  disjointed  syllables  during  the  intervals  of 
mastication  !  In  truth,  an  American  seems  to  look  on  a 
judge  exactly  as  he  does  on  a  carpenter  or  coppersmith  ; 
and  it  never  occurs  to  him,  that  an  administrator  of 
justice  is  entitled  to  greater  respect  than  a  constructor 
of  brass  knockers,  or  a  sheather  of  a  ship's  bottom. 
The  judge  and  the  brazier  are  paid  equally  for  their 
work ;  and  Jonathan  firmly  believes  that,  while  he  has 
money  in  his  pocket,  there  is  no  risk  of  his  suffering 
from  the  want  either  of  law  or  warming  pans." 

One  most  notorious  case  of  bribery,  I  can  vouch  for, 
as  I  am  acquainted  with  the  two  parties,  one  of  whom 
purchased  the  snuff-box  in  which  the  other  enclosed  the 
notes  and  presented  to  the  jurymen.  A  gentleman  at 
New  York,  of  the  name  of  Stoughton,  had  a  quarrel  with 
another  of  the  name  of  Goodwin  :  the  latter  followed 
the  former  down  the  street,  and  murdered  him  in  open 
day  by  passing  a  small  sword  through  his  body.  The 
case  was  as  clear  as  a  case  could  be,  but  there  is  a  great 
dislike  to  capital  punishment  in  America,  and  particularly 
was  there  in  this  instance,  as  the  criminal  was  of  good 
family  and  extensive  connexions.  It  was  ascertained 
that  all  the  jury  except  two  intended  to  acquit  the  priso 
ner  upon  some  pretended  want  of  evidence,  but  that 
these  two  had  determined  that  the  law  should  take  its 
course,  and  were  quite  inexorable.  Before  the  jury  had 
retired  to  consult  upon  the  verdict,  it  was  determined 
by  the  friends  of  the  prisoner  that  an  attempt  should  be 
made  by  bribery  to  soften  down  the  resolution  of  these 
two  men.  As  they  were  retiring,  a  snuff-box  was  put 
into  the  hands  of  one  of  them  by  a  gentleman,  with  the 
observation  that  he  and  his  friend  would  probably  find  a 
pinch  of  snuff  agreeable  after  so  long  a  trial.  The 
snuff-box  contained  banknotes  to  the  amount  of  2,500 
dollars  (,£500  sterling).  The  snuff-box  and  its  contents 
were  not  returned,  and  the  prisoner  was  acquitted. 

The  unwillingness  to  take  away  life  is  a  very  remark- 


LAW.  ]81 

able  feature  in  America  and  were  it  not  carried  to  such 
an  extreme  length,  would  be  a  very  commendable  one. 
An  instance  of  this  occurred  just  before  my  arrival  at 
New  York.  A  young  man  by  the  name  of  Robinson, 
who  was  a  clerk  in  an  importing  house,  had  formed  a 
connexion  with  a  young  woman  on  the  town  of  the 
name  of  Ellen  Jevvitt.  Not  having  the  means  to  meet 
her  demands  upon  his  purse,  he  had  for  many  months 
embezzled  from  the  store  goods  to  a  very  large  amount, 
which  she  had  sold  to  supply  her  wants  or  wishes. 
At  last,  Robinson,  probably  no  longer  caring  for  the  girl, 
and  aware  that  he  was  in  her  power,  determined  upon 
murdering  her.  Such  accumulated  crime  can  hardly  be 
conceived  !  He  went  to  sleep  with  her,  made  her  drunk 
with  champagne  before  they  retired  to  bed,  and  then  as 
she  lay  in  bed  murdered  her  with  an  axe,  which  he  had 
brought  with  him  from  his  master's  store.  The  house 
of  ill  fame  in  which  he  visited  her  was  at  that  time  full 
of  other  people  of  both  sexes,  who  had  retired  to  rest— - 
it  is  said  nearly  one  hundred  were  there  on  that  night, 
thoughtless  of  the  danger  to  which  they  were  exposed. 
Fearful  that  the  murder  of  the  young  woman  would  be 
discovered  and  brought  home  to  him,  the  miscreant 
resolved  to  set  fire  to  the  house,  and  by  thus  sending 
unprepared  into  the  next  world  so  many  of  his  fellow- 
creatures,  escape  the  punishment  which  he  deserved. 
He  set  fire  to  the  bed  upon  which  his  unfortunate  victim 
laid,  and  having  satisfied  himself  that  his  work  was 
securely  done,  locked  the  door  of  the  room,  and  quiHed 
the  premises.  A  merciful  Providence, however,  directed 
otherwise:  the  fire  was  discovered,  and  the  flames 
extinguished,  and  his  crime  mad6  manifest.  The  evi 
dence  in  an  English  court  would  have  been  more  than 
sufficient  to  convict  him;  but  in  America,  such  is  the 
feeling  against  taking  life,  that,  strange  to  say,  Robinson 
was  acquitted,  and  permitted  to  leave  for  Texas,  where, 
it  is  said,  he  still  lives  under  a  false  name.  I  have  heard 
this  subject  canvassed  over  and  over  again  in  New 
York ;  and,  although  some,  with  a  view  of  extenuating 
to  a  foreigner  such  a  disgraceful  disregard  to  security  of 
life,  have  endeavoured  to  show  that  the  evidence  was 
VOL.  ii.  16 


182  LAW. 

not  quite  satisfactory,  there  really  was  not  a  shadow  of 
doubt  in  the  whole  case.* 

But  leniency  towards  crime  is  the  grand  characteristic 
of  American  legislation.  Whether  it  proceeds,  (as  I 
much  suspect  it  does,)  from  the  national  vanity  being 
unwilling  to  admit  that  such  things  can  take  place  among 
"  a  very  moral  people,"  or  from  a  more  praiseworthy 
feeling,'!  am  not  justified  in  asserting:  the  reader  must 
form  his  own  opinion,  when  he  has  read  all  I  have  to 
say  upon  other  points  connected  with  the  subject. 

I  have  been  very  much  amused  with  the  reports  of  the 
sentences  given  by  my  excellent  friend  the  recorder  of 
New  York.  He  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  soundest  law 
yers  in  the  Union,  and  a  very  worthy  man  ;  but  I  must 
say,  that  as  recorder,  he  does  not  add  to  the  dignity  of 
the  bench  by  his  facetious  remarks,  and  the  peculiar  lenity 
he  occasionally  shows  to  culprits.! 

I  will  give  an  extract  from  the  newspapers  of  some 
of  the  proceedings  in  this  court,  as  they  will,  I  am  con 
vinced,  be  as  amusing  to  the  reader  as  they  have  been 
to  me. 

The  Recorder  then  called  out — **  Mr.  Crier,  make  the 
usual  proclamation  ;"  "  Mr.  Clerk,  call  out  the  prisoners, 
and  let  us  proceed  to  sentencing  them  !" 

Clerk.     Put  Stephen  Schofield  to  the  bar. 

It  was  done. 

Clerk.  Prisoner,  you  may  remember  you  have  here 
tofore  been  indicted  for  a  certain  crime  by  you  commit 
ted  ;  upon  your  indictment  you  were  arraigned  ;  upon 
your  arraignment  you  pleaded  guilty,  and  threw  yourself 
upon  the  mercy  of  the  court.  What  have  you  now  to 
say,  why  judgment  should  not  be  passed  upon  you  ac 
cording  to  law. 

The  prisoner,  who  was  a  bad-looking  mulatto,  was  si 
lent. 

*  America  though  little  more  than  sixty  years  old  as  a  nation, 
has  already  published  an  United  States'  Criminal  Calendar  (Boston, 
1835).  I  have  this  book  in  my  possession,  and,  although  in  num 
ber  of  criminals  it  is  not  quite  equal  to  our  Newgate  Calendar,  it 
far  exeeds  it  in  atrocity  of  crime. 

t  Some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  license  of  the  reporters, 
but  in  the  main  it  is  a  very  fair  specimen  of  the  recorder's  style 
and  language. 


LAW.  183 

Recorder.  Schofield,  you  have  been  convicted  of  a 
very  bad  crime  ;  you  attempted  to  take  liberties  with  a 
young  white  girl — a  most  serious  offence.  This  is  get 
ting  to  be  a  very  bad  crime,  and  practised,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  to  a  great  extent  in  this  community:  it  must  be  put 
a  stoj)  to.  Had  you  been  convicted  of  the  whole  crime, 
we  should  have  sent  you  to  the  State -prison  for  life.  As 
it  is,  we  sentence  you  to  hard  labour  in  the  State-prison 
at  Sing  Sing  for  five  years;  and  that's  the  judgment  of 
the  court ;  and  when  you  come  out,  take  no  more  liber 
ties  with  white  ^irls. 

Prisoner.     Thank  your  honour  it  ain't  no  worse. 
Clerk.     Bring  out  Mary  Burns. 
It  was  done. 

Clerk.  Prisoner,  you  may  remember,  &c.  &c.  upon 
your  arraignment  you  pleaded  not  guilty,  and  put  yourself 
on  your  country  for  trial ;  which  country  hath  found  you 
guilty.  What  have  you  now  to  say  why  judgment  should 
not  be  pronounced  upon  you  according  to  law  ? 
(Silent.) 

Recorder.     Mary  Burns,  Mrs.  Forgay  gave  you  her 
chemise  to  wash. 

Prisoner.  No,  she  didn't  give  it  to  me, 
Recorder.  But  you  got  it  somehow,  and  you  stole 
the  money.  Now,  you  see,  our  respectable  fellow-citi 
zens,  the  ladies,  must  have  their  chemises  washed,  and, 
to  do  so,  they  must  put  confidence  in  their  servants  ;  and 
they  have  a  right  to  sew  their  money  up  in  their  chemise 
if  they  think  proper,  and  servants  must  not  steal  it  from 
them.  As  you're  a  young  woman,  and  not  married,  it 
would  not  be  right  to  deprive  you  of  the  opportunity  to 
get  a  husband  for  five  years  ;  so  we  shall  only  send  you 
to  Sing  Sing  for  two  years  and  six  months  ;  the  keeper 
will  work  you  in  whatever  way  he  may  think  proper.— 
Go  to  the  next. 

Charles   Liston  was  brought  out  and  arraigned,  pro 
forma."    He  was  a  dark  negro. 

Clerk.     Liston,  what  have  you  to  say  why  judgment, 

&C.  ? 

Prisoner.     All  I  got  to  say  to  his  honour  de  honoura 
ble  court  is,  dat  I  see  de  error  of  my  ways,  and  I  hope 


184  LAW. 

dey  may  soon  see  de  error  of  deirs.  I  broke  de  law  of 
my  free  country,  and  I  must  lose  my  liberty,  and  go  to 
Sing  Sing.  But  I  trow  myself  on  de  mercy  of  de  Recor 
der  :  and  nil  I  got  to  say  to  his  honour,  de  honourable 
Richard  Riker,  is,  dat  I  hope  he'll  live  to  be  de  next 
mayor  of  New  York  till  I  come  out  of  Sing  Sing. 

Recorder  (laughing).  A  very  good  speech  !  But, 
Liston,  whether  I'm  mayor  or  not,  you  must  suffer  some. 
Tiiis  stealing  from  entries  is  a  most  pernicious  crime, 
and  one  against  which  our  respectable  fellow-citizens  can 
scarcely  guard.  Two-thirds  of  our  citizens  hang  their 
hats  and  coals  in  entries,  and  we  must  protect  their  hats 
and  coats.  We,  therefore,  sentence  you  to  Sing  Sing  for 
five  years. — Go  to  the  next. 

John  M' Donald  and  Godfrey  Urawluck  were  put  to 
the  bar. 

Recorder.  M'Donald  and  Crawluck,  you  stole  two 
beeves.  Now,  however  much  I  like  beef,  I'd  be  very 
hungry  before  I'd  steal  any  beef.  You  are  on  the  high 
road  to  ruin.  You  went  up  the  road  to  Harlem,  and 
down  the  road  to  Yorkville,  and  you'll  soon  go  to  de 
struction.  We  shall  send  you  to  Sing  Sing  for  two 
years  each  ;  and  when  you  come  out,  lake  your  mo 
ther's  maiden  name,  and  lead  a  good  life,  and  don't  eat 
any  more  beef — I  mean  don't  steal  any  more  beeves. — 
Go  to  the  next. 

Luke  Staken  was  arraigned. 

Recorder.  Staken,  you  slept  in  a  room  with  Lahay, 
and  stole  all  his  gold  (1000  dollars).  This  sleeping  in 
rooms  with  other  people,  and  stealing  their  things,  is  a 
serious  offence,  and  practised  to  a  great  extent  in  this 
city ;  and  what  makes  the  matter  worse,  you  stole  one 
thousand  dollars  in  specie,  when  specie  is  so  scarce. 
We  send  you  to  Sing  Sing  for  five  years. 

Jacob  Williams  was  arraigned.  He  looked  as  if  he 
had  not  many  days  to  live,  though  a  young  man. 

Recorder.  Williams,  you  stole  a  lot  of  kerseymere 
from  a  store,  and  ran  off  with  it — a  most  pernicious 
crime  !  But,  as  your  health  is  not  good,  we  shall  only 
send  you  to  Sing  Sing  for  three  years  and  six  months. 

John  H.  Murray  was  arraigned. 

Recorder.  Murray,  you're  a  deep  fellow.     You  got  a 


LAW.  185 

Green  Mountain  boy  into  an  alley,  and  played  at  "shuf 
fle  and  burn,"  and  you  burned  him  out  of  a  hundred 
dollars.  You  must  go  to  Sing  Sing  for  five  years ;  and 
we  hope  the  reputable  reporters  attending  for  the  re 
spectable  public  press,  will  warn  our  respectable  country 
friends,  when  they  come  into  New  York,  not  to  go  into 
Orange  Street,  and  play  at  "  shuffle  and  burn"  among 
bad  girls  and  bad  men,  or  they'll  very  likely  get  burnt, 
like  this  Green  Mountain  boy. — Go  to  the  next. 

William  Shay,  charged  with  shying  glasses  at  the 
head  of  a  tavern-keeper.  Guilty. 

Recorder.  This  rioting  is  a  very  bad  crime,  Shay,  and 
deserves  heavy  punishment ;  but  as  we  understand  you 
have  a  wife  and  sundry  little  Shays,  we'll  let  you  off, 
provided  you  give  your  solemn  promise  never  to  do  so 
any  more. 

Shay.  I  gives  it — wery  solemnonly. 

Recorder.  Then  we  discharge  you. 

Shay.  Thank  your  honour — your  honour's  a  capital 
judge. ' 

John  Bowen,  charged  with  stealing  a  basket.    Guilty. 

Recorder.  Now,  John,  we've  convicted  you  :  and  you'll 
have  to  get  out  stone  for  three  months  on  Blackwell's 
Island — that's  the  judgment  of  the  Court. 

William  Buckly  and  Charles  Rogers,  charged  with 
loafing — sleeping  in  the  park,  and  leaving  the  gate  open 
— were  discharged,  with  a  caution  to  take  care  how 
they  interfered  with  corporation  rights  in  future,  or  they 
would  get  their  corporation  into  trouble. 

Ann  Boyle,  charged  with  being  too  lively  in  the  street. 
Let  off  on  condition  of  being  quiet  for  the  time  to  come. 

Thomas  Dixon,  charged  with  petty  larceny.     Guilty. 

Dixon.  I  wish  to  have  judgment  suspended. 

Recorder.  It's  a  bad  time  to  talk  about  suspension ; 
why  do  you  request  this  ? 

Dixon.  I've  an  uncle  I  want  to  see,  and  other  rela 
tions. 

Recorder.  In  that  case  we'll  send  you  to  Blackwell's 
Island  for  six  months,  you'll  be  sure  to  find  them  all 
there.  Sentence  accordingly. 

Charles  Enroff,  charged  with  petty  larceny — coming 
16* 


186  LAW. 

Paddy  over  an  Irish  shoemaker,  and  thereby  cheating 
him  out  of  a  pair  of  shoes.  Guilty. 

Sentenced  to  the  Penitentiary,  Blackwell's  Island,  for 
six  months,  and  to  get  out  stone. 

Charles  Thorn,  charged  with  assaulting  Miss  Rachael 
Prigmore. 

Recorder.  Miss  Prigmore,  how  came  this  man  to 
strike  you  ? 

Rachael.  Because  I  wouldn't  have  him.  (A  laugh.) 
He  was  always  a  teazing  me,  and  spouting  poetry  about 
roses  and  thorns ;  so  when  I  told  him  to  be  off  he  struck 
me. 

Prisoner  (theatrically).  Me  strike  you  !  Oh,  Ra 
chael — 

"  Perhaps  it  was  right 'to  dissemble  your  love, 
But  why  did  you  kick  me  down  stairs  ?" 

Prisoner's  Counsel.  That's  it,  your  honour.  Why  did 
she  kick  him  down  stairs'? 

This  the  fair  Rachael  indignantly  denied,  and  the  pri 
soner  was  found  guilty. 

Recorder.  This  striking  of  women  is  a  very  bad  crime, 
you  must  get  out  stone  for  two  months. 

Prisoner.  She'll  repent,  your  honour.  She  loves  me 
— I  know  she  does. 

"  On  the  cold  flinty  rock,  when  I'm  busy  at  work, 
Oh,  Rachael,  I'll  think  of  thee." 

Thomas  Ward,  charged  with  petty  larceny.  Guilty. 
— Ward  had  nothing  to  offer  to  ward  off  his  sentence, 
therefore  he  was  sent  to  the  Island  for  six  months. 

Maria  Brandon,  charged  with  petty  larceny.  Guilty. 
Sentenced  to  pick  oakum  for  six  months. 

Maria.  Well,  I've  friends,  that's  comfort,  they'll  sing — 

44  Oh  come  to  this  bower,  my  own  stricken  deer." 

Recorder.  You're  right,  Maria,  it's  an  oakum  bower 
you're  going  to. 

The  Court  then  adjourned.* 

*  There  is,  as  will  appear  by  the  quotations,  as  much  fun  in  the 
police  reports  in  New  York  as  in  the  best  of  ours  :  the  style  of  the 
Recorder  is  admirably  taken  off. 


LAW.  187 

But  all  these  are  nothing  compared  with  the  follow 
ing,  which  at  first  I  did  not  credit.  I  made  the  strictest 
inquiry,  and  was  informed  by  a  legal  gentleman  present 
that  it  was  correct.  I  give  the  extract  as  it  stood  in  the 
newspapers. 

"  Influence  of  a  Pretty  Girl. — *  Catherine  Manly,'  said 
the  Recorder  yesterday,  in  the  sessions, '  you  have  been, 
convicted  of  a  very  bad  crime.  This  stealing  is  a  very 
serious  offence;  but,  as  you  are  a  pretty  girl!  wre'll 
suspend  judgment,  in  hopes  you  will  do  better  for  the 
future.'"  We  have  often  heard  that  justice  was  blind. 
What  a  fib  to  say  so  ! 

Mr.  Carey,  in  his  publication  on  Wealth,  asserts  that 
security  of  property  and  of  person  are  greater  in  the 
United  States  than  in  England.  How  far  he  is  correct  I 
shall  now  proceed  to  examine.  Mr.  Carey  says,  in  his  ob 
servations  on  security  of  person — "Comparing  Massa 
chusetts  with  England  and  Wales,  we  find  in  the  former 
1  in  86,871  sentenced  to  one  year's  imprisonment  or 
more :  whereas,  in  the  latter  1  in  70,000  is  sentenced 
to  more  than  one  year.  The  number  sentenced  to  one 
year  or  more  in  England  is  greater  than  in  Pennsylvania. 
It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  security  is  much  greater 
in  Massachusetts  than  in  England,  and  consequently 
greater  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world." 

Relative  to  crimes  against  security  of  property,  he 
asserts — 

"  Of  crimes  against  property,  involving  punishments 
of  one  year's  imprisonment,  or  more,  we  find — 

In  Pennsylvania       -  -       1  in  4,400 

In  New  York       -  1  in  5,900 

In  Massachusetts      -  -       1  in  5,932 

"While  in  England,  in  the  year  1834, 
their  convictions  for  offences  against 
property,  involving  punishments  ex 
ceeding  over  oneyear's  imprisonment, 
was  -  -  1  in  3,120 

Now,  that  these  numbers  are  fairly  given,  as  far  as 
they  go,  I  have  no  doubt;  but  the  comparison  is  not  just, 
because,  first,  in  America  crime  is  not  so  easily  detected; 
and,  secondly,  when  detected,  conviction  does  not  always 
follow. 


188  LAW. 

Mr.  Carey  must  be  well  aware  that,  in  the  American 
newspapers  you  continually  meet  with  a  paragraph  like 
tins  : — "  A  body  of  a  white  man,  or  of  a  negro,  was 
found  floating  near  such  and  such  a  wharf  on  Saturday 
last  with  evident  marks  of  violence  upon  it,  &c.  &c.,  and 
the  coroner's  inquest  is  returned  either  found  drowned, 
or  violence  by  person  or  persons  unknown."  Now,  let 
Mr.  Carey  take  a  list  from  the  coroner's  books  of  the 
number  of  bodies  found  in  this  manner  at  New  York, 
and  the  number  of  instances  in  which  the  perpetrators 
have  been  discovered  ;  let  him  compare  this  list  with  a 
similar  one  made  for  England  and  Wales,  and  he  will 
then  ascertain  the  difference  between  the  crimes  commit 
ted  in  proportion  to  the  convictions  which  take  place 
through  the  activity  of  the  police  in  our  country,  and,  it 
may  be  said,  the  total  want  of  police  in  the  United 
States. 

As  to  the  second  point,  namely,  that  when  crimes  are 
detected,  conviction  does  not  follow,*  I  have  only  to 
refer  back  to  the  cases  of  Robinson  and  Goodwin,  two 
instances  out  of  the  many  in  which  criminals  in  the 
United  States  are  allowed  to  escape,  who,  if  they  had 
committed  the  same  offence  in  England,  would  most 
certainly  have  been  hanged.  But  there  is  another  point 
which  renders  Mr.  Carey's  statement  unfair,  which  is, 
that  he  has  no  right  to  select  one,  two,  or  even  three 
States  out  of  twenty-six,  and  compare  them  all  with 
England  and  Wales. 

The  question  is,  the  comparative  security  of  person 

*  Miss  Martineau,  speaking  of  a  trial  for  murder  in  the  United 
States,  says,  "  I  observed  that  no  one  seemed  to  have  a  doubt  of  his 
guilt.  She  replied  that  there  never  was  a  clearer  case;  but  that  he 
would  be  acquitted ;  the  examination  and  trial  were  a  mere  form, 
of  which  every  one  knew  the  conclusion  beforehand.  The  people 
did  not  choose  to  see  any  more  hanging,  and  till  the  law  was  so 
altered  as  to  allow  an  alternative  of  punishment,  no  conviction  for 
a  capital  offence  would  be  obtainable.  I  asked  on  what  pretence 
the  young  man  would  be  got  off,  if  the  evidence  against  him  was 
as  clear  as  it  was  represented.  She  said  some  one  would  be  found 
to  swear  an  alibi.  .  .  . 

"A  tradesman  swore  an  alibi;  the  young  man  was  acquitted, 
and  the  next  morning  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  West." 


LAW.  189 

and  property  in  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  I 
acknowledge  that,  if  Ireland  were  taken  into  the  account, 
it  would  very  much  reduce  our  proportional  numbers  ; 
but,  then,  there  crime  is  fomented  by  traitors  and  dema 
gogues — a  circumstance  which  must  not  be  overlooked. 

Still,  the  whole  of  Ireland  would  offer  nothing  equal 
in  atrocity  to  what  I  can  prove  relative  to  one  small 
town  in  America:  that  of  Augusta,  in  Georgia,  contain 
ing  only  a  population  of  3,000,  in  which,  in  one  year, 
there  were  fifty -nine  assassinations  committed  in  open 
day,  without  any  notice  being  taken  of  them  by  the 
authorities. 

This,  alone,  will  exceed  all  Ireland,  and  I  therefore  do 
not  hesitate  to  assert,  that  if  every  crime  committed  in 
the  United  States  were  followed  up  by  conviction,  as  it 
would  be  in  Great  Britain,  the  result  would  fully  sub 
stantiate  the  fact  that,  in  security  of  person  and  property, 
the  advantage  is  considerably  in  favour  of  my  own 
country. 


LYNCH  LAW. 

ENGLISHMEN  express  their  surprise  that  in  a  moral 
community  such  a  monstrosity  as  Lynch  law  should 
exist ;  but  although  the  present  system,  which  has  been 
derived  from  the  original  Lynch  law,  cannot  be  too 
severely  condemned,  it  must,  in  justice  to  the  Ameri 
cans,  be  considered  that  the  original  custom  of  Lynch 
law  was  forced  upon  them  by  circumstances.  Why  the 
term  Lynch  law  has  been  made  use  of,  I  do  not  know ; 
but  in  its  origin  the  practice  was  no  more  blamable  than 
were  the  laws  established  by  the  Pilgrim  fathers  on  their 
first  landing  at  Plymouth,  or  any  law  enacted  amongst  a 
community  left  to  themselves,  their  own  resources,  and 
their  own  guidance  and  government.  Lynch  law,  as  at 
first  constituted,  was  nothing  more  than  punishment 
awarded  to  offenders  by  a  community  who  had  been  in 
jured,  and  who  had  no  law  to  refer  to,  and  could  have  no 
redress  if  they  did  not  lake  the  law  into  their  own  hands; 


190  LAW. 

the  present  system  of  Lynch  law  is,  on  the  contrary,  an 
illegal  exercise  of  the  power  of  the  majority  in  opposi 
tion  to  and  defiance  of  the  laws  of  the  country,  and  the 
measure  of  justice  administered  and  asvarded  by  those 
laws. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  fifty  years  ago,  there 
were  but  few  white  men  to  the  westward  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  Mountains ;  that  the  States  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  were  at  that  time  as  scanty  in  population  as 
even  now  are  the  districts  of  loway  and  Columbia ;  that 
by  the  institutions  of  the  Union  a  district  required  a 
certain  number  of  inhabitants  before  it  could  be  acknow 
ledged  as  even  a  district ;  and  that  previous-  to  such 
acknowledgment,  the  people  who  had  squatted  on  the 
land  had  no  claim  to  protection  or  law.  It  must  also 
be  borne  in  mind,  that  these  distant  territories  offered 
an  asylum  to  many  who  fled  from  the  vengeance  of  the 
laws,  men  without  principle,  thieves,  rogues,  and  vaga 
bonds,  who  escaping  there,  would  often  interfere  with 
the  happiness  and  peace  of  some  small  yet  well-con 
ducted  community,  which  had  migrated  and  settled  on 
these  fertile  regions.  These  communities  had  no  appeal 
against  personal  violence,  no  protection  from  rapacity 
and  injustice.  They  were  not  yet  within  the  pale  of  the 
Union  ;  indeed  there  are  many  even  now  in  this  precise 
situation  (that  of  the  Mississippi,  for  instance),  who  have 
been  necessitated  to  make  laws  of  government  for  them 
selves,  and  who  acting  upon  their  own  responsibilities, 
do  very  often  condemn  to  death,  and  execute.*  It  was, 
therefore,  to  remedy  the  defect  of  there  being  no  esta 
blished  law,  that  Lynch  law,  as  it  is  termed,  was  ap- 

*  "  A  similar  case  is  to  be  found  at  the  present  day,  west  of  the 
Mississippi.  Upon  lands  belonging  to  the  United  States,  not  yet 
surveyed  or  offered  for  sale,  are  numerous  bodies  of  people  who 
have  occupied  them,  with  the  intention  of  purchasing  them  when 
they  shall  be  brought  into  the  market.  These  persons  are  called 
squatters,  and  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  they  consist  of  the  elite 
of  the  emigrants  to  the  West;  yet  we  are  informed  that  they  have 
organised  a  government  fur  themselves,  and  regularly  elect  magis 
trates  to  attend  to  the  execution  of  the  laws.  They  appear,  in  this 
respect,  to  be  worthy  descendants  of  the  pilgrims." — Carey  OH 
Wealth. 


LYNCH  LAW.  191 

plied  to;  without  it,  all   security,  all  social   happiness 
would  have  been  in  a  state  of  abeyance.  By  degrees,  all 
disturbers  of  the  public  peace,  all  offenders  against  justice 
met  with  their  deserts ;  and  it  is  a  query,  whether  on 
its  first  institution,  any  law  from  the  bench  was  more 
honestly  and   impartially   administered  than  this  very 
Lynch  law,  which  has  now  had  its  name  prostituted  by 
the  most  barbarous  excesses  and  contemptuous  viola 
tion  of  all  law  whatever.     The  examples  I  am  able  to 
bring  forward  of  Lynch  law,  in  its  primitive  state,  will 
all  be  found  to  have  been  based  upon  necessity,  and  a 
due  regard  to  morals  and  to  justice.     For  instance,  the 
harmony  of  a  well-conducted  community  would  be  in 
terfered  with  by  some  worthless  scoundrel,  who  would 
entice  the  young  men  to  gaming,  or  the  young  women 
to  deviate  from  virtue.     He  becomes  a  nuisance  to  the 
community,  and   in  consequence  the  heads  or  elders 
would  meet  and  vote  his  expulsion.     Their  method  was 
very  simple  and  straight-forward ;  he  was  informed  that 
his  absence  would  be  agreeable,  and  that  if  he  did  not 
"  clear  out"  before  a  certain  day,  he  would  receive  forty 
lashes  with  a  cow-hide.     If  the  party  thought  proper  to 
defy  this  notice,  as  soon  as  the  clay  arrived  he  received 
the  punishment,  with   a  due  notification  that,  if  found 
there  again  after  a  certain  time,  the  dose  would  be  re 
peated.     By  these  means  they  rid  the  community  of  a 
bad  subject,  and  the  morals  of  the  junior  branches  were 
not  contaminated.     Such  was  in  its  origin  the  practice 
of  Lynch  law. 

A  circumstance  occurred  within  these  few  years  in 
which  Lynch  law  was  duly  administered.  At  Dubuque, 
in  the  lovvay  district,  a  murder  was  committed.  The 
people  of  Dubuque  first  applied  to  the  authorities  of  the 
State  of  Michigan,  but  they  discovered  that  the  district 
of  loway  was  not  within  the  jurisdiction  of  that  State; 
and,  in  fact,  although  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
there  was  law  and  justice,  they  had  neither  to  appeal 
to.  They  would  not  allow  the  murderer  to  escape; 
they  consequently  met,  selected  among  themselves  a 
judge  and  a  jury,  tried  the  man,  and,  upon  their  own 
responsibility,  hanged  him. 


192  LYNCH  LAW. 

There  was  another  instance  which  occurred  a  short 
time  since  at  Snakes'  Hollow,  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Mississippi,  not  far  from  the  town  of  Dubuque.  A 
band  of  miscreants,  with  a  view  of  obtaining  possession 
of  some  valuable  diggings  (lead  mines)  which  were  in 
the  possession  of  a  grocer  who  lived  in  that  place,  mur 
dered  him  in  the  open  day.  The  parties  were  well 
known,  but  they  held  together  and  would  none  of  them 
give  evidence.  As  there  were  no  hopes  of  their  con 
viction,  the  people  of  Snakes'  Hollow  armed  themselves, 
seized  the  parties  engaged  in  the  transaction,  and 
ordered  them  to  quit  the  territory  on  pain  of  having  a 
rifle-bullet  through  their  heads  immediately.  The 
scoundrels  crossed  the  river  in  a  canoe,  and  were 
never  after  heard  of. 

I  have  collected  these  facts  to  show  that  Lynch  law 
has  been  forced  upon  the  American  settlers  in  the  Wes 
tern  States  by  circumstances ;  that  it  has  been  acted 
upon  in  support  of  morality  and  virtue,  and  that  its 
awards  have  been  regulated  by  strict  justice.  But  I 
must  now  notice  this  practice  with  a  view  to  show  how 
dangerous  it  is  that  any  law  should  be  meted  out  by 
the  majority,  and  that  what  was  commenced  from  a 
sense  of  justice  and  necessity,  has  now  changed  into  a 
defiance  of  law,  where  law  and  justice  can  be  readily 
obtained.  The  Lynch  law  of  the  present  day,  as  prac 
tised  in  the  States  of  the  West  and  South,  may  be 
divided  into  two  different  heads  :  the  first  is,  the  ad 
ministration  of  it  in  cases  in  which  the  laws  of  the 
States  are  considered  by  the  majority  as  not  having 
awarded  a  punishment  adequate,  in  their  opinion,  to  the 
offence  committed ;  and  the  other,  when  from  excite 
ment  the  majority  will  not  wait  for  the  law  to  act,  but 
inflict  the  punishment  with  their  own  hands. 

The  following  are  instances  under  the  first  head. 

Every  crime  increases  in  magnitude  in  proportion  as 
it  affects  the  welfare  and  interest  of  the  community. 
Forgery  and  bigamy  are  certainly  crimes,  but  they  are 
not  such  heavy  crimes  as  many  others  to  which  the 
same  penalty  is  decreed  in  this  country.  But  in  a  com 
mercial  nation  forgery,  from  its  effects,  becomes  most 


LYNCH  LAW.  193 

injurious,  as  it  destroys  confidence  and  security  of  pro 
perty,  affecting  the  whole  mass  of  society.  A  man 
may  have  his  pocket  picked  of  £1000  or  more,  but  this 
is  not  a  capital  offence,  as  it  is  only  the  individual  who 
suffers;  but  if  a  man  forges  a  bill  for  £5  he  is  (or 
rather  was)  sentenced  by  our  laws  to  be  hanged. 
Bigamy  may  be  adduced  as  another  instance :  the 
heinousness  of  the  offence  is  not  in  having  more  than 
one  wife,  but  in  the  prospect  of  the  children  of  the  first 
marriage  being  left  to  be  supported  by  the  community. 
Formerly,  that  was  also  pronounced  a  capital  offence. 
Of  punishments,  it  will  be  observed  that  society  has 
awarded  the  most  severe  for  crimes  committed  against 
itself,  rather  than  against  those  which  most  offend  God. 
Upon  this  principle,  in  the  Southern  and  Western  States, 
you  may  murder  ten  white  men  and  no  one  will  ar 
raign  you  or  trouble  himself  about  the  matter  ;  but  steal 
one  nigger,  and  the  whole  community  are  in  arms,  and 
express  the  most  virtuous  indignation  against  the  sin  of 
theft,  although  that  of  murder  will  be  disregarded. 

One  or  two  instances  in  which  Lynch  law  was  called 
in  to  assist  justice  on  the  bench,  came  to  my  knowledge. 
A  Yankee  had  stolen  a  slave,  but  as  the  indictment  was 
not  properly  worded,  he  knew  that  he  wrould  be  acquit 
ted,  and  he  boasted  so,  previous  to  the  trial  coming  on. 
He  was  correct  in  his  supposition ;  the  flaw  in  the  in- 
dictrnent  was  fatal,  and  he  was  acquitted.  "  I  told  you 
so,"  said  he,  triumphantly  smiling  as  he  left  the  court, 
to  the  people  who  had  been  waiting  the  issue  of  the 
trial. 

"  Yes,"  replied  they,  "  it  is  true  that  you  have  been 
acquitted  by  Judge  Smith,  but  you  have  not  yet  been 
tried  by  Judge  Lynch."  The  latter  Judge  was  very 
summary.  The  Yankee  was  tied  up,  and  cow-hided 
till  he  was  nearly  dead  ;  they  then  put  him  into  a  dug 
out  and  sent  him  floating  down  the  river.  Another 
instance  occurred  which  is  rather  amusing,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  throws  some  light  upon  the  peculiar  state  of 
society  in  the  West. 

There  was  a  bar-keeper  at  some  tavern  in  the  State 
of  Louisiana  (if  I  recollect  right)  who  was  a  great  fa- 

VOL.  II.  17 


194  LYNCH  LAW. 

vourite  ;  whether  from  his  judicious  mixture  of  the  pro 
portions  in  mint-juleps,  and  gin-cocktails,  or  from  other 
causes,  I  do  not  know;  but  what  may  appear  strange 
to  the  English,  he  was  elected  to  an  office  in  the  law- 
courts  of  the  State,  similar  to  our  Attorney-General,  and 
I  believe  was  very  successful,  for  an  American  can  turn 
his  hand  or  his  head  to  almost  any  thing.  It  so  happened 
that  a  young  man  who  was  in  prison  for  stealing  a  ne 
gro,  applied  to  this  Attorney-General  to  defend  him  in 
the  court.  This  he  did  so  successfully  that  the  man 
was  acquitted ;  but  Judge  Lynch  was  as  usual  waiting 
outside,  and  when  the  attorney  came  out  with  his  client, 
the  latter  was  demanded  to  be  given  up.  This  the 
attorney  refused,  saying  that  the  man  was  under  his 
protection.  A  tumult  ensued,  but  the  attorney  was 
firm ;  he  drew  his  bowie-knife,  and  addressing  the 
crowd,  said,  "  My  men,  you  all  know  me :  no  one 
takes  this  man,  unless  he  passes  over  my  body."  The 
populace  were  still  dissatisfied,  and  the  attorney,  not 
wishing  to  lose  his  popularity,  and  at  the  same  time 
wanting  to  defend  a  man  who  had  paid  him  well,  re 
quested  the  people  to  be  quiet  a  moment  until  he  could 
arrange  the  affair.  He  took  his  client  aside,  and  said  to 
him,  "  These  men  will  have  you,  and  will  Lynch  you, 
in  spite  of  all  my  efforts;  only  one  chance  remains  for 
you,  and  you  must  accept  it :  you  know  that  it  is  but  a 
mile  to  the  confines  of  the  next  State,  which  if  you  gain 
you  will  be  secure.  You  have  been  in  prison  for  two 
months,  you  have  lived  on  bread  and  water,  and  you 
must  be  in  good  wind,  moreover,  you  are  young  and 
active.  These  men  who  wish  to  get  hold  of  you  are 
half  drunk,  and  they  never  can  run  as  you  can.  Now, 
I'll  propose  that  you  shall  have  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  law,  and  then  if  you  exert  yourself,  you  can 
easily  escape."  The  man  consented,  as  he  could  not 
help  himself:  the  populace  also  consented,  as  the 
attorney  pointed  out  to  them  that  any  other  arrange 
ment  would  be  injurious  to  his  honour.  The  man, 
however,  did  not  succeed ;  he  was  so  frightened  that  he 
could  not  run,  and  in  a  short  time  he  was  taken,  and 
had  the  usual  allowance  of  cow-hide  awarded  by  Judge 


LYNCH  LAW.  195 

Lynch.  Fortunately  he  regained  his  prison  before  he 
was  quite  exhausted,  and  was  sent  away  during  the 
night  in  a  steamer. 

At  Natchez,  a  young  man  married  a  young  lady  of 
fortune,  and,  in  his  passion,  actually  flogged  her  to 
death.  He  was  tried,  but  as  there  were  no  witnesses 
but  negroes,  and  their  evidence  was  not  admissible 
against  a  white  man,  he  was  acquitted  :  but  he  did  not 
escape;  he  was  seized,  tarred  and  feathered,  scalped, 
and  turned  adrift  in  a  canoe  without  paddles. 

Such  are  the  instances  of  Lynch  law  being  superadd- 
ed,  when  it  has  been  considered  by  the  majority  that  the 
law  has  not  been  sufficiently  severe.  The  other  variety 
of  Lynch  law  is,  when  they  will  not  wait  for  law,  but, 
in  a  state  of  excitement,  proceed  to  summary  punish 
ment. 

The  case  more  than  once  referred  to  by  Miss  Mar- 
tineau,  of  the  burning  alive  of  a  coloured  man  at  St. 
Louis,  is  one  of  the  gravest  under  this  head.  I  do  not 
wish  to  defend  it  in  any  way,  but  I  do,  for  the  honour  of 
humanity,  wish  to  offer  all  that  can  be  said  in  extenua 
tion  of  this  atrocity  :  and  I  think  Miss  Martineau,  when 
she  held  up  to  public  indignation  the  monstrous  punish 
ment,  was  bound  to  acquaint  the  public  with  the  cause 
of  an  excitable  people  being  led  into  such  an  error. 
This  unfortunate  victim  of  popular  fury  was  a  free  co 
loured  man,  of  a  very  quarrelsome  and  malignant  dis 
position  ;  he  had  already  been  engaged  in  a  variety  of 
disputes,  and  was  a  nuisance  in  the  city.  For  an  at 
tempt  to  murder  another  coloured  man,  he  had  been 
seized,  and  was  being  conducted  to  prison  in  the  cus 
tody  of  Mr.  Hammond,  the  sheriff,  and  another  white 
person  who  assisted  him  in  the  execution  of  his  duty. 
As  he  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  prison,  he  watched  his 
opportunity,  stabbed  the  person  who  was  assisting  the 
sheriff,  and,  then  passing  his  knife  across  the  throat  of 
Mr.  Hammond,  the  carotid  artery  was  divided,  and  the 
latter  fell  dead  upon  the  spot.  Now,  here  was  a  wretch 
who,  in  one  day,  had  three  times  attempted  murder,  and 
had  been  successful  in  the  instance  of  Mr.  Hammond, 
the  sheriff,  a  person  universally  esteemed.  Moreover, 


196  LYNCH  LAW. 

when  it  is  considered  that  the  culprit  was  of  a  race 
who  are  looked  upon  as  inferior ;  that  this  successful 
attempt  on  the  part  of  a  black  man  was  considered 
most  dangerous  as  a  precedent  to  the  negro  popula 
tion  ;  that,  owing  to  the  unwillingness  to  take  life  away 
in  America,  he  might  probably  have  escaped  justice ; 
and  that  this  occurred  just  at  the  moment  when  the 
abolitionists  were  creating  such  mischief  and  irritation  : 
— although  it  must  be  lamented  that  they  should  have 
so  disgraced  themselves,  the  summary  and  cruel  pun 
ishment  which  was  awarded  by  an  incensed  populace 
is  not  very  surprising.  Miss  Martineau  has,  however, 
thought  proper  to  pass  over  the  peculiar  atrocity  of  the 
individual  who  was  thus  sacrificed  :  to  read  her  ac 
count  of  the  transaction,  it  would  appear  as  if  he  were 
an  unoffending  party,  sacrificed  on  account  of  his 
colour  alone. 

Another  remarkable  instance  was  the  execution  of 
five  gamblers  at  the  town  of  Vicksburgh,  on  the  Missis 
sippi.  It  may  appear  strange  that  people  should  be 
lynched  for  the  mere  vice  of  gambling:  but  this  will  be 
better  understood  when,  in  my  second  portion  of  this 
work,  I  enter  into  a  general  view  of  society  in  the 
United  States.  At  present  it  will  be  sufficient  to  say, 
that  as  towns  rise  in  the  South  and  West,  they  gradu 
ally  become  peopled  with  a  better  class ;  and  that,  as 
soon  as  this  better  class  is  sufficiently  strong  to  accom 
plish  their  ends,  a  purification  takes  place  much  to  the 
advantage  of  society.  I  hardly  need  observe,  that  these 
better  classes  come  from  the  Eastward.  New  Orleans, 
Natches,  and  Vicksburgh  are  evidences  of  the  truth  of 
observations  I  have  made.  In  the  present  instance,  it 
was  resolved  by  the  people  of  Vicksburgh  that  they 
would  no  longer  permit  their  city  to  be  the  resort  of  a 
set  of  unprincipled  characters,  and  that  all  gamblers  by 
profession  should  be  compelled  to  quit  it.  But,  as  I 
have  the  American  account  of  what  occurred,  I  think  it 
will  be  better  to  give  it  in  detail,  the  rather  as  I  was  in 
formed  by  a  gentleman  residing  there  that  it  was  per 
fectly  correct : — 

*'  Our  city  has  for  some  days  past  been  the  theatre  of 


LYNCH  LAW.  197 

the  most  novel  and  startling  scenes  that  we  have  ever 
witnessed.  While  we  regret  that  the  necessity  for  such 
scenes  should  have  existed,  we  are  proud  of  the  public 
spirit  and  indignation  against  offenders  displayed  by  the 
citizens,  and  congratulate  them  on  having  at  length  ba 
nished  a  class  of  individuals,  whose  shameless  vices  and 
daring  outrages  have  long  poisoned  the  springs  of  mo 
rality,  and  interrupted  the  relations  of  society.  For  years 
past,  professional  gamblers,  destitute  of  all  sense  of  mo 
ral  obligation — unconnected  with  society  by  any  of  its 
ordinary  ties,  and  intent,  only  on  the  gratification  of  their 
avarice — have  made  Vicksburgli  their  place  of  rendez 
vous — and,  in  the  very  bosom  of  our  society,  boldly 
plotted  their  vile  and  lawless  machinations.  Here,  as 
every  where  else,  the  laws  of  the  country  were  found 
wholly  ineffectual  for  the  punishment  of  th^se  indivi 
duals;  and,  emboldened  by  impunity,  their  numbers  and 
their  crimes  have  daily  continued  to  multiply.  Every 
species  of  transgression  followed  in  their  train.  They 
supported  a  large  number  of  tippling-houses,  to  which 
they  would  decoy  the  youthful  and  unsuspecting,  and, 
after  stripping  them  of  their  possessions,  send  them 
forth  into  the  world  the  ready  and  desperate  instruments 
of  vice.  Our  streets  were  ever  resounding  with  the 
echoes  of  their  drunken  and  obscene  mirth,  and  no  citi 
zen  was  secure  from  their  villany.  Frequently,  in  armed 
bodies,  they  have  disturbed  the  good  order  of  public  as 
semblages,  insulted  our  citizens,  and  defied  our  civil 
authorities.  Thus  had  they  continued  to  grow  bolder  in 
their  wickedness,  and  more  formidable  in  their  numbers, 
until  Saturday,  the  4th  of  July  (inst.),  when  our  citizens 
had  assembled  together,  with  the  corps  of  Vicksburgh 
volunteers,  at  a  barbecue,  to  celebrate  the  day  by  the 
usual  festivities.  After  dinner,  and  during  the  delivery 
of  the  toasts,  one  of  the  officers  attempted  to  enforce 
order  and  silence  at  the  table,  when  one  of  these  gam 
blers,  whose  name  is  Cabler,  who  had  impudently  thrust 
himself  into  the  company,  insulted  the  officer,  and  struck 
one  of  the  citizens.  Indignation  immediately  rose  high, 
and  it  was  only  by  the  interference  of  the  commandant 
that  he  was  saved  from  instant  punishment.  He  was, 
17* 


198  LYNCH  LAW. 

however,  permitted  to  retire,  and  the  company  dispersed. 
The  military  corps  proceeded  to  the  public  square  of  the 
city,  and  were  there  engaged  in  their  exercises,  when 
information  was  received  that  Cabler  was  coming  up, 
armed,  and  resolved  to  kill  one  of  the  volunteers,  who 
had  been  most  active  in  expelling  him  from  the  table. 
Knowing  his  desperate  character,  two  of  the  corps  in 
stantly  stepped  forward  and  arrested  him.  A  loaded 
pistol  and  a  large  knife  and  dagger  were  found  upon  his 
person,  all  of  which  he  had  procured  since  he  separated 
from  the  company.  To  liberate  him  would  have  been 
to  devote  several  of  the  most  respectable  members  of  the 
company  to  his  vengeance,  and  to  proceed  against  him 
at  law  would  have  been  mere  mockery,  inasmuch  as, 
not  having  had  the  opportunity  of  consummating  his 
design,  no  adequate  punishment  could  be  inflicted  on 
him.  Consequently,  it  was  determined  to  take  him  into 
the  woods  and  Lynch  him — which  is  a  mode  of  punish 
ment  provided  for  such  as  become  obnoxious  in  a  man 
ner  which  the  law  cannot  reach.  He  was  immediately 
carried  out  under  a  guard,  attended  by  a  crowd  of  re 
spectable  citizens — tied  to  a  tree — punished  with  stripes 
— tarred  and  feathered,  and  ordered  to  leave  the  city  in 
forty-eight  hours.  In  the  mean  time,  one  of  his  com 
rades,  the  Lucifer  of  his  gang,  had  been  endeavouring  to 
rally  and  arm  his  confederates  for  the  purpose  of  rescu 
ing  him — which,  however,  he  failed  to  accomplish. 

'*  Having  thus  aggravated  the  whole  band  of  these 
desperadoes,  and  feeling  no  security  against  their  ven 
geance,  the  citizens  met  at  night  in  the  Court-house,  in 
a  large  number,  and  there  passed  the  following  resolu 
tions  :  — 

"  Resolved,  That  a  notice  be  given  to  all  professional 
gamblers,  that  the  citizens  of  Vicksburgh  are  resolved  to 
exclude  them  from  this  place  and  its  vicinity  ;  and  that 
twenty-four  hours'  notice  be  given  them  to  leave  the 
place. 

"  Resolved,  That  all  persons  permitting  faro-dealing 
in  their  houses,  be  also  notified  that  they  will  be  prose 
cuted  therefor. 

"  Resolved,  That  one  hundred  copies  of  the  foregoing 


LYNCH  LAW.  i«U' 

resolutions  be  printed  and  stuck  up  at  the  corners  of  the 
streets — and  that  this  publication  be  deemed  a  notice. 

"  On  Sunday  morning,  one  of  these  notices  was  post 
ed  at  the  corners  of  each  square  of  the  city.  During 
that  day  (the  5th)  a  majority  of  the  gang,  terrified  by 
the  threats  of  the  citizens,  dispersed  in  different  direc 
tions,  without  making  any  opposition.  It  was  sincerely 
hoped  that  the  remainder  would  follow  their  example, 
and  thus  prevent  a  bloody  termination  of  the  strife  which 
had  commenced.  On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  the  mili 
tary  corps,  followed  by  a  file  of  several  hundred  citizens, 
marched  to  each  suspected  house,  and  sending  in  an 
examining  committee,  dragged  out  every  faro-table  and 
other  gambling  apparatus  that  could  be  found. 

"  At  length  they  approached  a  house  which  was  occupied 
by  one  of  the  most  profligate  of  the  gang,  whose  name 
was  North,  and  in  which  it  was  understood  that  a  garrison 
of  armed  men  had  been  stationed.  All  hoped  that  these 
wretches  would  be  intimidated  by  the  superior  numbers 
of  their  assailants,  and  surrender  themselves  at  discretion 
rather  than  attempt  a  desperate  defence.  The  house 
being  surrounded,  the  back  door  was  burst  open,  when  four 
or  five  shots  were  fired  from  the  interior,  one  of  which 
instantly  killed  Dr.  Hugh  S.  Bodley,  a  citizen  univer 
sally  beloved  and  respected.  The  interior  was  so  dark 
that  the  villains  could  not  be  seen  ;  but  several  of  the  citi 
zens,  guided  by  the  flash  of  their  guns,  returned  there 
fire.  A  yell  from  one  of  the  party  announced  that  one 
of  the  shots  had  been  effectual,  and  by  this  time  a  crowd 
of  citizens,  their  indignation  overcoming  all  other  feelings, 
burst  open  every  door  of  the  building,  and  dragged  into 
the  light  those  who  had  not  been  wounded. 

•'  North,  the  ringleader,  who  had  contrived  this  des 
perate  plot,  could  not  be  found  in  the  building,  but  was 
apprehended  by  a  citizen,  while  attempting,  in  company 
with  another,  to  make  his  escape  at  a  place  not  far  distant. 
Himself,  with  the  rest  of  the  prisoners,  was  then  con 
ducted  in  silence  to  the  scaffold.  One  of  them,  not  having 
been  in  the  building  before  it  was  attacked,  nor  appearing 
to  be  concerned  with  the  rest,  except  that  he  was  the 
brother  of  one  of  them,  was  liberated,  The  remaining 


200  LYNCH    LAW. 

number  of  five,  among  whom  was  the  individual  who  had 
heen  shot,  but  who  still  lived,  were  immediately  executed 
in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  multitude.  All  sympathy 
for  the  wretches  was  completely  merged  in  detestation 
and  horror  of  their  crime.  The  whole  procession  then 
returned  to  the  city,  collected  all  the  faro-tables  into  a 
pile*,  and  burnt  them.  This  being  done,  a  troop  of  horse 
men  set  out  for  a  neighbouring  house,  the  residence  of  J. 
Hord,  the  individual  who  had  attempted  to  organise  a 
force  on  the  first  day  of  this  disturbance  for  the  rescue  of 
Cabler,  who  had  since  been  threatening  to  fire  the  city. 
He  had,  however,  made  his  escape  on  that  day,  and  the 
next  morning  crossed  the  Big  Black,  at  Baldwin's  Ferry, 
in  a  state  of  indescribable  consternation.  We  lament  his 
escape,  as  his  whole  course  of  life  for  the  last  three  years 
has  exhibited  the  most  shameless  profligacy,  and  been 
a  series  of  continual  transgressions  against  the  laws  of 
God  and  man. 

"  The  names  of  the  individuals  who  perished  were 
as  follow : — North,  Hullams,  Dutch  Bill,  Smith,  and 
McCall. 

"  Their  bodies  were  cut  down  on  the  morning  after  the 
execution,  and  buried  in  a  ditch. 

«*  It  is  not  expected  that  this  act  will  pass  without 
censure  from  those  who  had  not  an  opportunity  of  know 
ing  and  feeling  the  dire  necessity  out  of  which  it  origi 
nated.  The  laws,  however  severe  in  their  provision, 
have  never  been  sufficient  to  correct  a  vice  which  must 
be  established  by  positive  proof,  and  cannot,  like  others, 
be  shown  from  circumstantial  testimony.  It  is  practised, 
too,  by  individuals  whose  whole  study  is  to  violate 
the  law  in  such  a  manner  as  to  evade  its  punishment, 
and  who  never  are  in  want  of  secret  confederates  to  swear 
them  out  of  their  difficulties,  whose  oaths  cannot  be  im 
peached  for  any  specific  cause.  We  had  borne  with  their 
enormities  until  to  suffer  them  any  longer  would  not  only 
have  proved  us  to  be  destitute  of  every  manly  sentiment, 
but  would  also  have  implicated  us  in  the  guilt  of  accessa 
ries  to  their  crimes.  Society  may  be  compared  to  the 
elements  which, \  although  4  order  is  their  first  law/  can 
sometimes  be  purified  only  by  a  storm.  Whatever, 


LYNCH    LAW,  202 

therefore,  sickly  sensibility  or  mawkish  philanthropy 
may  say  against  the  course  pursued  by  us,  we  hope  thae 
onr  citizens  will  not  relax  the  code  of  punishment  which 
they  have  enacted  against  this  infamous  and  baleful  class 
of  society;  and  we  invite  Natchez,  Jackson,  Columbus, 
Warrenton,  and  ail  our  sister  towns  throughout  the  State, 
in  the  name  of  our  insulted  laws,  of  offended  virtue,  and 
of  slaughtered  innocence,  to  aid  us  in  exterminating  this 
deep-rooted  vice  from  our  land.  The  revolution  has  beer* 
conducted  here  by  the  most  respectable  citizens,  heads  of 
families,  members  of  all  classes,  professions,  and  pursuits. 
None  have  been  heard  to  utter  a  syllable  of  censure  against 
either  the  act  or  the  manner  in  which  it  was  performed. 

"  An  Anti-Gambling  Society  has  been  formed,  the 
members  of  which  have  pledged  their  lives,  fortunes, 
and  sacred  honours  for  the  suppression  of  gambling, 
and  the  punishment  and  expulsion  of  gamblers. 

"  Startling  as  the  above  may  seem  to  foreigners,  it 
will  ever  reflect  honour  on  the  insulted  citizens  of 
Vicksburg,  among  those  who  best  know  how  to  appre 
ciate  the  motives  by  which  they  were  actuated.  Their 
city  now  stands  redeemed  and  ventilated  from  all  the 
vices  and  influence  of  gambling  and  assignation  houses; 
two  of  the  greatest  curses  that  ever  corrupted  the  mo 
rals  of  any  community." 

That  the  society  in  the  towns  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi  can  only,  like  the  atmosphere,  "be  purified 
by  storm,"  is,  I  am  afraid,  but  too  true. 

I  have  now  entered  fully,  and  I  trust  impartially,  into 
the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Lynch  Law,  and  I  must 
leave  my  readers  to  form  their  own  conclusions.  That 
it  has  occasionally  been  beneficial,  in  the  peculiar  state 
of  the  communities  in  which  it  has  been  practised,  must 
be  admitted  ;  but  it  is  equally  certain  that  it  is  in  itself 
indefensible,  and  that  but  too  often,  not  only  much  too 
severe  for  the  offence,  but  what  is  still  more  to  be  de 
precated,  the  innocent  do  occasionally  suffer  with  the 
guilty. 


202 


CLIMATE. 

I  WISH  the  remarks  in  this  chapter  to  receive  peculiar 
attention,  as  in  commenting  upon  the  character  of  the 
Americans,  it  is  but  justice  to  them  to  point  out  that 
many  of  what  may  be  considered  as  their  errors,  arise 
from  circumstances  over  which  they  have  no  control; 
and  one  which  has  no  small  weight  in  this  scale  is  the 
peculiar  climate  of  the  country;  for  various  as  is  the 
climate,  in  such  an  extensive  region,  certain  it  is,  that 
in  one  point,  that  of  excitement,  it  has,  in  every  portion 
of  it,  a  very  pernicious  effect. 

When  I  first  arrived  at  New  York,  the  effect  of  the 
climate  upon  me  was  immediate.  On  the  5th  of  May, 
the  heat  and  closeness  was  oppressive.  There  was  a 
sultriness  in  the  air,  even  at  that  early  period  of  the 
year,  which  to  me  seemed  equal  to  that  of  Madras. 
Almost  every  day  there  were,  instead  of  our  mild  re 
freshing  showers,  sharp  storms  of  thunder  and  light 
ning;  but  the  air  did  not  appear  to  me  to  be  cooled  by 
them.  And  yet,  strange  to  say,  there  were  no  inci 
pient  signs  of  vegetation :  the  trees  waved  their  bare 
arms,  and  while  I  was  throwing  off  every  garment 
which  I  well  could,  the  females  were  walking  up  and 
down  Broadway  wrapped  up  in  warm  shawls.  It  ap 
peared  as  if  it  required  twice  the  heat  we  have  in  our 
own  country,  either  to  create  a  free  circulation  in  the 
blood  of  the  people,  or  to  stimulate  nature  to  rouse 
after  the  torpor  of  a  protracted  and  severe  winter.  In 
a  week  from  the  period  I  have  mentioned,  the  trees 
were  in  full  foliage,  the  belles  of  Broadway  walking 
about  in  summer  dresses  and  thin  satin  shoes,  the  men 
calling  for  ice,  and  rejoicing  in  the  beauty  of  the 
weather,  the  heat  of  which  to  me  was  most  oppressive. 
In  one  respect  there  appears  to  be  very  little  difference 
throughout  all  the  States  of  the  Union;  which  is,  in  the 
extreme  heat  of  the  summer  months,  and  the  rapid 
changes  of  temperature  which  take  place  in  the  twenty- 
four  hours. 


CLIMATE. 


203 


When  I  was  on  Lake  Superior  the  thermometer  stood 
between  90°  and  100°  during  the  day,  and  at  night  was 
nearly  down  to  the  freezing  point.  When  at  Si.  Peter's, 
which  is  nearly  as  far  north,  and  farther  west,  the  ther 
mometer  stood  generally  at  100°  to  106°  during  the  day, 
and  I  found  it  to  be  the  case  in  all  the  northern  Slates 
when  the  winter  is  most  severe,  as  well  as  in  the  more 
southern.  When  on  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers, 
where  the  heat  was  most  insufferable  during  the  day, 
our  navigation  was  almost  every  night  suspended  by  the 
thick  dank  fogs,  which  covered  not  only  the  waters  but 
the  inland  country,  and  which  must  be  any  thing  but 
healthy.  In  fact,  in  every  portion  of  the  States  which  I 
visited,  and  in  those  portions  also  which  1  did  not  visit, 
the  extreme  heat  and  rapid  changes  in  the  weather  were 
(according  to  the  information  received  from  other  per 
son?)  the  same. 

But  I  must  proceed  to  particulars.  I  consider  the  cli 
mate  on  the  sea-coasts  of  the  eastern  Slates,  from  Maine 
to  Baltimore,  as  the  most  unhealthy  of  all  parts  of  Ame 
rica  ;  as,  added  to  the  sudden  changes,  they  have  cold 
and  damp  easterly  winds,  which  occasion  a  great  deal  of 
consumption.  The  inhabitants,  more  especially  the  wo 
men,  show  this  in  their  appearance,  and  ii  is  by  the  in 
habitants  that  the  climate  must  be  tested.  The  women 
are  very  delicate,  and  very  pretty  ;  but  they  remind  you 
of  roses  which  have  budded  fairly,  but  which  a  check  in 
the  season  have  not  permitted  to  blow.  Up  to  sixteen 
or  seventeen,  they  promise  perfection  ;  at  that  age  their 
advance  appears  lo  be  checked.  Mr.  Saunderson,  in  a 
very  clever  and  amusing  work,  which  I  recommend 
every  one  to  read,  called  •'  Sketches  of  Paris,"  says  : 
**  Our  climate  is  noted  for  three  eminent  qualities— ex 
treme  heat  and  cold,  and  extreme  suddenness  of  change. 
If  a  lady  has  bad  teeth,  or  a  bad  complexion,  she  lays 
them  conveniently  to  the  climate  ;  if  her  beauty,  like  a 
tender  flower,  fades  before  noon,  it  is  the  climate  ;  if  she 
has  a  bad  temper,  or  a  snub  nose,  still  it  is  the  climate. 
But  our  climate  is  active  and  intellectual,  especially  in 
winter,  and  in  all  seasons  more  pure  and  transparent 
than  the  inky  skies  of  Europe.  It  sustains  the  infancy 


204  CLIMATE. 

of  beauty — why  not  its  maturity  ?  It  spares  the  bud- 
why  not  the  opened  blossom,  or  the  ripened  fruit.  Our 
oegroes  are  perfect  in  their  teeth — why  not  the  whites  ? 
The  chief  preservation  of  beauty  in  any  country  is  health, 
and  there  is  no  place  in  which  this  great  interest  is  so 
little  attended  to  as  in  America.  To  be  sensible  of  this, 
you  must  visit  Europe — you  must  see  the  deep-bosomed 
maids  of  England  upon  the  Place  Vendome  and  the  Rue 
Castiglione." 

I  have  quoted  this  passage,  because  I  think  Mr.  Saun- 
derson  is  not  just  in  these  slurs  upon  his  fair  countrywo 
men.  I  acknowledge  that  a  bad  temper  does  not  directly 
proceed  from  climate,  although  sickness  and  suffering, 
occasioned  by  climate,  may  indirectly  produce  it.  As 
for  the  snub  nose,  I  agree  wiih  him,  that  climate  has  not 
so  much  to  do  with  that.  Mr,  Saunderson  is  right  in 
saying,  that  the  chief  preservative  of  beauty  is  health  ; 
but  may  I  ask  him,  upon  what  does  health  depend  but 
upon  exercise?  and  if  so,  how  many  days  are  there  in 
the  American  summer  in  which  the  heat  will  admit  of 
exercise,  or  in  the  American  winter  in  which  it  is  possi 
ble  for  women  to  walk  out  ? — for  carriage  driving  is  not 
exercise,  and  if  it  were,  from  the  changes  in  the  weather 
in  America,  it  will  always  be  dangerous.  The  fact  is, 
that  the  climate  will  not  admit  of  the  exercise  necessary 
for  health,  unless  by  running  great  risks,  and  very  often 
contracting  cold  and  chills,  which  end  in  consumption 
and  death.  To  accuse  his  countrywomen  of  natural  in 
dolence,  is  unfair ;  it  is  an  indolence  forced  upon  them. 

As  for  the  complexions  of  the  females,  I  consider  they 
are  much  injured  by  the  universal  use  of  close  stoves,  so 
necessary  in  the  extremity  of  the  winters.  Mr.  S.'s  im 
plication,  that  because  negroes  have  perfect  teeth,  there 
fore  so  should  the  whites,  is  another  error.  The  negroes 
were  born  for,  and  in,  a  torrid  clime,  and  there  is  some 
difference  between  their  strong  ivory  masticators  and  the 
transparent  pearly  teeth  which  so  rapidly  decay  in  the 
eastern  States,  from  no  other  cause  than  the  variability  of 
the  climate.  Besides,  do  the  teeth  of  the  women  in  the 
western  States  decay  so  fast?  Take  a  healthy  situation, 
with  an  intermediate  climate,  such  as  Cincinnati,  and  you 


CLIMATE.  205 

will  there  find  not  only  good  teeth,  but  as  deep-bosomed 
maids  as  you  will  in  England  ;  so  you  will  in  Virginia, 
Kentucky,  Missouri,  and  Wisconsin,  which,  with  a  por 
tion  of  Ohio,  are  the  most  healthy  States  in  the  Union. 
There  is  another  proof,  and  a  positive  one,  that  the 
women  are  affected  by  the  climate  and  not  through  any 
fault  of  their  own,  which  is,  that  if  we  transplant  a  delicate 
American  girl  to  England,  she  will  in  a  year  or  two  be 
come  so  robust  and  healthy  as  not  to  be  recognised  upon 
her  return  home  ;  showing  that  the  even  temperature  of 
our  damp  climate  is,  from  the  capability  of  constant  exer 
cise,  more  conducive  to  health,  than  the  sunny,  yet 
variable  atmosphere  of  America. 

The  Americans  are  fond  of  their  climate,  and  consider 
it,  as  they  do  every  thing  in  America,  as  the  very  best  in 
the  world.  They  are,  as  I  have  said  before,  most  happy 
in  their  delusions.  But  if  the  climate  be  not  a  healthy  one, 
it  is  certainly  a  beautiful  climate  to  the  eye  ;  the  sky  is  so 
clear,  the  air  so  dry,  the  tints  of  the  foliage  so  inexpressi 
bly  beautiful  in  the  autumn  and  early  winter  months : 
and  at  night,  the  stars  are  so  brilliant,  hundreds  being 
visible  with  the  naked  eye  which  are  not  to  be  seen  by 
us,  that  I  am  not  surprised  at  the.  Americans  praising  the 
beauty  of  their  climate.  The  sun  is  terrific  in  his  heat, 
it  is  true,  but  still  one  cannot  help  feeling  the  want  of  it, 
when  in  England,  he  will  disdain  to  shine  for  weeks. 
Since  my  return  to  this  country,  the  English  reader  can 
hardly  form  an  idea  of  how  much  I  have  longed  for  the 
sun.  After  having  sojourned  for  nearly  two  years  in 
America,  the  sight  of  it  has  to  me  almost  amounted  to  a  ne 
cessity,  and  I  am  not  therefore  astonished  at  an  American 
finding  fault  with  the  climate  of  England  ;  but  neverthe 
less,  our  climate,  although  unprepossessing  to  the  eye, 
and  depressive  to  the  animal  spirits,  is  much  more  healthy 
than  the  exciting  and  changeable  atmosphere,  although 
beautiful  in  appearance,  which  they  breathe  in  the  United 
States. 

One  of  the  first  points  to  which  I  directed  my  attention 
on  my  arrival  in  America,  was  to  the  diseases  most  pre 
valent.     In  the  eastern  States,  as  may  by  supposed,  they 
have  a  great  deal  of  consumption;  in  the  western,  the 
VOL.  ir.  18 


206  CLIMATE. 

complaint  is  hardly  known  :  but  the  general  nature  of  the 
American  diseases  are  neuralgic,  or  those  which  affect 
the  nerves,  and  which  are  common  to  almost  all  the 
Union.  Ophthalmia,  particularly  the  disease  of  the 
ophthalmic  nerve,  is  very  common  in  the  eastern  States. 
The  medical  men  told  me  that  there  were  annually  more 
diseases  of  the  eye  in  New  York  city  alone,  than  perhaps 
all  over  Europe.  How  far  this  may  be  correct  I  cannot 
say  ;  but  this  I  can  assert,  that  I  never  had  any  com 
plaint  in  my  eyes  until  I  arrived  in  America,  and  during  a 
stay  of  eighteen  months,  I  was  three  times  very  severely 
afflicted.  The  oculist  who  attended  me,  asserted  that  he 
had  seven  hundred  patients. 

The  tic  doloureux  is  another  common  complaint 
throughout  America, — indeed  so  common  is  it,  that  I 
should  say  that  one  out  of  ten  suffers  from  it  more  or 
less ;  the  majority,  however,  are  women. 

I  saw  more  cases  of  delirium  tremens  in  America,  than 
I  ever  heard  of  before.  In  fact,  the  climate  is  one  of  ex 
treme  excitement.  I  had  not  been  a  week  in  the  coun 
try  before  I  discovered  how  impossible  it  was  for  a 
foreigner  to  drink  as  much  wine  or  spirits  as  he  could  in 
England,  and  I  believe  that  thousands  of  emigrants  have 
been  carried  off  by  making  no  alteration  in  their  habits 
upon  their  arrival.* 

The  winters  in  Wisconsin,  loway,  Missouri,  and 
Upper  Canada,  are  dry  and  healthy,  enabling  the  inha 
bitants  to  take  any  quantity  of  exercise,  and  I  found 
that  the  people  looked  forward  to  their  winters  with 
pleasure,  longing  for  the  heat  of  the  summer  to  abate. 

Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  a  portion  of  Ohio,  are 
very  unhealthy  in  the  autumns  from  the  want  of  drain 
age  ;  the  bilious  congestive  fever,  ague,  and  dysentery, 
carrying  off  large  numbers.  Virginia,  Kentucky,  North 
Carolina,  and  the  eastern  portions  of  Tennessee,  are 
comparatively  healthy.  South  Carolina,  and  all  the 

*  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  the  interior  portion  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  all  the  portions  of  the  other  States  which  abut  on 
the  great  lakes,  are  healthy,  owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  atmosphere 
being  softened  down  by  the  proximity  of  such  large  bodies  of  water 


CLIMATE.  207 

other  southern  States,  are,  as  it  is  well  known,  visited 
by  the  yellow  fever,  and  the  people  migrate  every  fall 
to  the  northward,  not  only  to  avoid  the  contagion,  but 
to  renovate  their  general  health,  which  suffers  from  the 
continual  demand  upon  their  energies,  the  western  and 
southern  country  being  even  more  exciting  than  the 
east.  There  is  a  fiery  disposition  in  the  Southerners 
which  is  very  remarkable ;  they  are  much  more  easily 
excited  than  even  the  Spaniard  or  Italian,  and  their 
feelings  are  more  violent  and  unrestrainable,  as  I  shall 
hereafter  show.  That  this  is  the  effect  of  climate  I  shall 
now  attempt  to  prove  by  one  or  two  circumstances,  out 
of  the  many  which  fell  under  my  observation.  It  is 
impossible  to  imagine  a  greater  difference  in  character 
than  exists  between  the  hot-blooded  Southerner,  and 
the  cold  calculating  Yankee  of  the  eastern  States.  I 
have  already  said  that  there  is  a  continual  stream  of 
emigration  from  the  eastern  States  to  the  southward 
and  westward,  the  farmers  of  the  eastern  States  leaving 
their  comparatively  barren  lands  to  settle  down  upon 
the  more  grateful  soils  of  the  interior.  Now,  it  is  a 
singular,  yet  a  well  known  fact,  in  a  very  few  years 
the  character  of  the  Eastern  armer  is  completely 
changed.  He  arrives  there  a  hard-working,  careful, 
and  sober  man  ;  for  the  first  two  or  three  years  his 
ground  is  well  tilled*  and  his  crops  are  abundant ;  but 
by  degrees  he  becomes  a  different  character:  he  ne 
glects  his  farm,  so  that  from  rich  soil  he  obtains  no 
better  crops  than  he  formerly  did  upon  his  poor  land  in 
Massachusetts ;  he  becomes  indolent,  reckless,  and  often 
intemperate.  Before  he  has  settled  five  years  in  the 
Western  country,  the  climate  has  changed  him  into  a 
Western  man,  with  all  the  peculiar  virtues  and  vices  of 
the  country. 

A  Boston  friend  of  mine  told  me  that  he  was  once  on 
board  of  a  steam-boat  on  the  Mississippi,  and  found 
that  an  old  schoolfellow  was  first  mate  of  the  vessel. 
They  ran  upon  a  snag,  and  were  obliged  to  lay  the 
vessel  on  shore  until  they  could  put  the  cargo  on  board 
of  another  steam-boat,  and  repair  the  damage.  The 
passengers,  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  instead  of 


208  CLIMATE. 

grumbling  at  what  could  not  be  helped,  as  people  do  in 
England,  made  themselves  merry ;  and  because  they 
could  not  proceed  on  their  voyage,  they  very  wisely 
resolved  to  drink  champagne.  They  did  so :  a  further 
supply  being  required,  this  first  mate  was  sent  down 
into  the  hold  to  procure  it.  My  Boston  friend  happened 
to  be  at  the  hatchway  when  he  went  down  with  a 
flaring  candle  in  his  hand,  and  he  observed  the  mate  to 
creep  over  several  small  barrels  until  he  found  the 
champagne  cases,  and  ordered  them  up. 

"  What  is  in  those  barrels?"  inquired  he  of  the  mate 
when  he  came  up  again. 

44  Oh,  gunpowder  /"  replied  the  mate. 

"  Good  Heavens !"  exclaimed  the  Bostonian,  "  is  it 
possible  that  you  could  be  so  careless  1  why  I  should 
have  thought  better  of  you  ;  you  used  to  be  a  prudent 
man." 

"  Yes,  and  so  I  was,  until  I  came  into  this  part  of  the 
country ;"  replied  the  mate,  "  but  somehow  or  another, 
I  don't  care  for  things  now,  which,  when  I  was  in  my 
own  State,  would  have  frightened  me  out  of  my  wits." 
Here  was  a  good  proof  of  the  Southern  recklessness 
having  been  imbibed  by  a  cautious  Yankee. 

I  have  adduced  the  above  instances,  because  I  con 
sider  that  the  excitement  so  general  throughout  the 
Union,  and  forming  so  remarkable  a  feature  in  the 
American  character,  is  occasioned  much  more  by  cli 
mate  than  by  any  other  cause :  that  the  peculiarity  of 
their  institutions  affords  constant  aliment  for  this  ex 
citement  to  feed  upon  is  true,  and  it  is  therefore  seldom 
allowed  to  repose.  I  think,  moreover,  that  their  climate 
is  the  occasion  of  two  bad  habits  to  which  the  Ameri 
cans  are  prone,  namely,  the  use  of  tobacco  and  of  spi 
rituous  liquors.  An  Englishman  could  not  drink  as 
the  Americans  do;  it  would  destroy  him  here  in  a  very 
short  time,  by  the  irritation  it  would  produce  upon  his 
nerves.  But  the  effect  of  tobacco  is  narcotic  and  anti- 
nervous  ;  it  allays  that  irritation,  and  enables  the  Ame 
rican  to  indulge  in  stimulating  habits  without  their  be 
ing  attended  with  such  immediate  ill  consequences. 

To  the  rapid  changes  of  the  climate,  and  to  the  ex- 


CLIMATE.  209 

Ireme  heat,  must  be  also  to  a  great  degree  ascribed  the 
excessive  use  of  spirituous  liquors ;  the  system  being 
depressed  by  the  sudden  changes,  demanding  stimulus 
to  equalise  the  pulse.  The  extraordinary  heat  during 
the  summer  is  also  another  cause  of  it.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Reid  says,  in  his  Tour  through  the  States,  "  the  dispo 
sition  to  drink  now  became  intense ;  we  had  only  to 
consider  how  we  might  safely  gratify  it ;  the  thermo 
meter  rose  to  100°,  and  the  heat  and  perspiration  were 
intolerable."  Now,  if  a  Christian  divine  acknowledged 
this  feeling,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  but  that  others 
must  be  equally  affected.  To  drink  pure  water  during 
this  extreme  heat  is  very  dangerous:  it  must  be  qualified 
with  some  wine  or  spirit ;  and  thus  is  an  American  led 
into  a  habit  of  drinking,  from  which  it  is  not  very  easy, 
indeed  hardly  possible,  for  him  to  abstain,  except  during 
the  winter,  and  the  winters  in  America  are  too  cold  for 
a  man  to  leave  off  any  of  his  habits.  Let  it  not  be  sup 
posed  that  I  wish  to  excuse  intemperance :  far  from  it ; 
but  I  wish  to  be  just  in  my  remarks  upon  the  Ameri 
cans,  and  show,  that  if  they  are  intemperate  (which 
they  certainly  are),  there  is  more  excuse  for  them  than 
there  is  for  other  nations,  from  their  temptation  arising 
out  of  circumstances. 

There  is  but  one  other  point  to  be  considered  in  exa 
mining  into  the  climate  of  America.  It  will  be  admitted 
that  the  American  stock  is  the  very  best  in  the  world, 
being  originally  English,  with  a  favourable  admixture 
of  German,  Irish,  French,  and  other  northern  countries. 
It  moreover  has  the  great  advantage  of  a  continual  im 
portation  of  the  same  varieties  of  stock  to  cross  and 
improve  the  breed.  The  question  then  is,  have  the 
American  race  improved  or  degenerated  since  the  first 
settlement  1  If  they  have  degenerated,  the  climate  can 
not  be  healthy. 

I  was  very  particular  in  examining  into  this  point, 
and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  the  American 
people  are  not  equal  in  strength  or  in  form  to  the  Eng 
lish.  I  may  displease  the  Americans  by  this  assertion, 
and  they  may  bring  forward  their  Backwoodsmen  and 
their  Kentuckians,  who  live  at  the  spurs  of  the  Alle- 
18* 


210  EDUCATION. 

ghany  Mountains,  as  evidence  to  the  contrary ;  but 
although  they  are  powerful  and  tall  men,  they  are  not 
well  made,  nor  so  well  made  as  the  Virginians,  who 
are  the  finest  race  in  the  Union.  There  is  one  peculiar 
defect  in  the  American  figure  common  to  both  sexes, 
which  is,  narrowness  of  the  shoulders,  and  it  is  a  very 
great  defect ;  there  seems  to  be  a  check  to  the  expan 
sion  of  the  chest  in  their  climate,  the  physiological 
causes  of  which  I  leave  to  others.  On  the  whole,  they 
certainly  are  a  taller  race  than  the  natives  of  Europe, 
but  not  with  proportionate  muscular  strength.  Their 
climate,  therefore,  I  unhesitatingly  pronounce  to  be  bad, 
being  injurious  to  them  in  two  important  points,  of 
healthy  vigour  in  the  body,  and  healthy  action  of  the 
mind ;  enervating  the  one,  and  tending  to  demoralise 
the  other. 


EDUCATION. 

MR.  CAREY,  in  his  statistical  work,  falls  into  the  great 
error  of  most  American  writers — that  of  lauding  his  own 
country  and  countrymen,  and  inducing  them  to  believe 
that  they  are  superior  to  all  nations  under  heaven.  This 
is  very  injudicious,  and  highly  injurious  to  the  national 
character :  it  upholds  that  self-conceit  to  which  the 
Americans  are  already  so  prone,  and  checks  that  im 
provement  so  necessary  to  place  them  on  a  level  with 
the  English  nation.  The  Americans  have  gained  more 
by  their  faults  having  been  pointed  out  by  travellers 
than  they  will  choose  to  allow ;  and,  from  his  moral 
courage  in  fearlessly  pointing  out  the  truth,  the  best 
friend  to  America,  among  their  own  countrymen,  has 
been  Dr.  Channing.  I  certainly  vvas  under  the  impres 
sion,  previous  to  my  visit  to  the'  United  States,  that 
education  was  much  more  universal  there  than  in  Eng 
land  ;  but  every  step  I  took,  and  every  mile  I  travelled, 
lowered  my  estimate  on  that  point.  To  substantiate 
my  opinion  by  statistical  tables  would  be  difficult ;  as, 
after  much  diligent  search,  I  find  that  I  can  only  obtain 


EDUCATION.  211 

a  correct  return  of  a  portion  of  our  own  establish 
ments  ;  but,  even  were  I  able  to  obtain  a  general  re 
turn,  it  would  not  avail  me  much,  as  Mr.  Carey  has  no 
general  return  to  oppose  to  it.  He  gives  us,  as  usual, 
Massachusetts  and  one  or  two  other  States,  but  no 
more ;  and,  as  I  have  before  observed,  Massachusetts 
is  not  America.  His  remarks  and  quotations  from  Eng 
lish  authors  are  not  fair ;  they  are  loose  and  partial 
observations,  made  by  those  who  have  a  case  to  sub 
stantiate.  Not  that  I  blame  Mr.  Carey  for  making  use 
of  those  authorities,  such  as  they  are ;  but  I  wish  to 
show  that  they  have  misled  him. 

I  must  first  observe  that  Mr.  Carey's  estimate  of  edu 
cation  in  England  is  much  lower  than  it  ought  to  be ; 
and  I  may  afterwards  prove  that,  his  estimate  of  educa 
tion  in  the  United  States  is  equally  erroneous  on  the 
other  side. 

To  estimate  the  amount  of  education  in  England  by 
the  number  of  national  schools  must  ever  be  wrong. 
In  America,  by  so  doing,  a  fair  approximation  may  be 
arrived  at,  as  the  education  of  all  classes  is  chiefly  con 
fined  to  them ;  but  in  England  the  case  is  different ;  not 
only  the  rich  and  those  in  the  middling  classes  of  life, 
but  a  large  proportion  of  the  poor,  sending  their  chil 
dren  to  private  schools.  Could  I  have  obtained  a  re 
turn  of  the  private  seminaries  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
it  would  have  astonished  Mr.  Carey.  The  small 
parish  of  Kensington  and  its  vicinity  has  only  two 
national  schools,  but  it  contains  292*  private  establish 
ments  for  education  ;  and  I  might  produce  fifty  others, 
in  which  the  proportion  would  be  almost  as  remarkable. 
I  have  said  that  a  large  portion  of  the  poorer  classes  in 
England  send  their  children  to  private  teachers.  This 
arises  from  a  feeling  of  pride ;  they  prefer  paying  for 
the  tuition  of  their  children  rather  than  having  their 
children  educated  by  the  parish,  as  they  term  the 
national  schools.  The  consequence  is,  that  in  every 
town,  or  village,  or  hamlet,  you  will  find  that  there  are 
"  dame  schools,"  as  they  are  termed,  at  which  about 
one-half  of  the  children  are  educated. 

*  I  believe  this  estimate  is  below  the  mark. 


212  EDUCATION. 

The  subject  of  national  education  has  not  been 
warmly  taken  up  in  England  until  within  these  last 
twenty-five  years,  and  has  made  great  progress  during 
that  period.  The  Church  of  England  Society  for  Na 
tional  Education  was  established  in  1813.  Two  years 
after  its  formation  there  were  only  230  schools,  con 
taining  40,484  children.  By  the  Twenty-seventh  Re 
port  of  this  Society,  ending  the  year  1838,  these 
schools  had  increased  to  17,341,  and  the  number  of 
scholars  to  1,003,087.  But  this,  it  must  be  recollected, 
is  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  public  education  in 
England  ;  the  Dissenters  having  been  equally  diligent, 
and  their  schools  being  quite  as  numerous  in  propor 
tion  to  their  numbers.  We  have,  moreover,  the  work 
house  schools,  and  the  dame  schools  before  mentioned, 
for  the  poorer  classes  ;  and  for  the  rich  and  middling 
classes,  establishments  for  private  tuition,  which,  could 
the  returns  of  them  and  of  the  scholars  be  made, 
would,  1  am  convinced,  amount  to  more  than  five  times 
the  number  of  the  national  and  public  establishments. 
But  as  Mr.  Carey  does  not  bring  forward  his  statistical 
proofs,  and  I  cannot  produce  mine,  all  that  I  can  do  is 
to  venture  my  opinion  from  what  I  learnt  and  saw 
during  my  sojourn  in  the  United  States,  or  have  ob 
tained  from  American  and  other  authorities. 

The  State  of  Massachusetts  is  a  school;  it  may  be 
said  that  all  there  are  educated.  Mr.  Reid  states  in  his 
work : — 

"It  was  lately  ascertained  by  returns  from  131  towns 
in  Massachusetts,  that  the  number  of  scholars  was 
12,393  ;  that  the  number  of  persons  in  the  towns  be 
tween  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  twenty-one  who  are 
unable  to  write  was  fifty-eight ;  and  in  one  town  there 
were  only  three  persons  who  could  not  read  or  write, 
and  those  three  were  dumb." 

I  readily  assent  to  this,  and  I  consider  Connecticut 
equal  to  Massachusetts  ;  but  as  you  leave  these  two 
States,  you  find  that  education  gradually  diminishes.* 

*  A  church-yard  with  its  mementoes  of  mortality  is  sometimes 
a  fair  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the  degree  of  the  education  of 
those  who  live  near  it.  In  one  of  the  church-yards  in  Vermont, 


EDUCATION.  213 

New  York  is  the  next  in  rank,  and  thus  the  scale  de 
scends  until  you  arrive  at  absolute  ignorance. 

I  will  now  give  what  I  consider  as  a  fair  and  impartial 
tabular  analysis  of  the  degrees  of  education  in  the  differ 
ent  States  in  the  Union.  It  may  be  cavilled  at,  but  it  will 
nevertheless  be  a  fair  approximation.  It  must  be  remem 
bered  that  it  is  not  intended  to  imply  that  there  are  not  a 
certain  portion  of  well-educated  people  in  those  States 
put  down  in  Class  4,  as  ignorant  States,  but  they  are  in 
cluded  in  the  Northern  States,  where  they  principally 
receive  their  education. 

Degrees  of  Education  in  the  different  States  in  the 

Union. 
1st  Class.  Population. 

Massachusetts 700,000 

Connecticut    ......         298,000 


998,000 
2d  Class. 

New  York 2,400,000* 

Maine 555,000 

New  Hampshire 300,000 

Vermont         ......  330,000 

Rhode  Island 110,000 

New  Jersey 360,000 

Ohio 1,300,000 


5,355,000 

3d  Class. 

Virginia 1,360,000 

North  Carolina 800,000 

South  Carolina       .....  650,000 

Pennsylvania l,600,000t 

there  is  a  tomb-stone  with  an  inscription  which  commences  as 
follows  : — "  PAWS,  reader,  PAWS." 

*  New  York  is  superior  to  the  other  States  in  this  list;  but  Ohio 
is  not  quite  equal.  I  can  draw  the  line  no  closer. 

t  Notwithstanding  that  Philadelphia  is  the  capital,  the  State  of 
Philadelphia  is  a  great  dunce. 


214  EDUCATION. 

Population. 

Maryland 500,000 

Delaware 80,000 

Columbia  (district)          ....  50,000 

Kentucky 800^000 

5,840,000 

4th  Class. 

Tennessee 900,000 

Georgia 620,000 

Indiana 550,000 

Illinois 320,000 

Alabama 500,000 

Lousiana 350,000 

Missouri 350,000 

Mississippi 150,000 

Michigan 120,000 

Arkansas 70,000 

Wisconsin 20,000 

Florida  (territory)  ....  50,000 

5,000,000 
If  I  am  correct,  it  appears  then  that  we  have, — 

Highly  educated 998,000 

Equal  with  Scotland       ....        5,355,000 
Not  equal  with  England          .         .         .        5,840,000 

Uneducated 5,000,000 

This  census  is  an  estimate  of  1836,  sufficiently  near 
for  the  purpose.  It  is  supposed  that  the  population  of 
the  United  States  has  since  increased  about  two  millions, 
and  of  that  increase  the  great  majority  is  in  the  Western 
States,  where  the  people  are  wholly  uneducated.  Tak 
ing,  therefore,  the  first  three  classes,  in  which  there  is 
education  in  various  degrees,  we  find  that  they  amount  to 
12,193,000  ;  against  which  we  may  fairly  put  the  5,000,- 
000  uneducated,  adding  to  it,  the  2,000,000  increased 
population,  and  3,000,000  of  slaves. 

I  believe  the  above  to  be  a  fair  estimate,  although  no 
thing  positive  can  be  collected  from  it.  In  making  a 
comparison  of  the  degree  of  education  in  the  United 


EDUCATION.  215 

States  and  in  England,  one  point  should  not  be  over 
looked.  In  England,  children  may  be  sent  to  school, 
but  they  are  taken  away  as  soon  as  they  are  useful,  and 
have  little  time  to  follow  up  their  education  afterwards. 
Worked  like  machines,  every  hour  is  devoted  to  labour, 
and  a  large  portion  forget,  from  disuse,  what  they  have 
learnt  when  young.  In  America,  they  have  the  advan 
tage  not  only  of  being  educated,  but  of  having  plenty  of 
time,  if  they  choose,  to  profit  by  their  education  in  after 
life.  The  mass  in  America  ought,  therefore,  to  be  better 
educated  than  the  mass  in  England,  where  circumstances 
are  against  it.  I  must  now  examine  the  nature  of  educa 
tion  given  in  the  United  States. 

It  is  admitted  as  an  axiom  in  the  United  States,  that 
the  only  chance  they  have  of  upholding  their  present 
institutions  is  by  the  education  of  the  mass ;  that  is  to 
say,  a  people  who  would  govern  themselves  must  be 
enlightened.  Convinced  of  this  necessity,  every  pains 
has  been  taken  by  the  Federal  and  State  governments  to 
provide  the  necessary  means  of  education.*  This  is 
granted;  but  now  we  have  to  inquire  into  the  nature  of 
the  education,  and  the  advantages  derived  from  such 
education  as  is  received  in  the  United  Slates. 

In  the  first  place,  what  is  education  ?  Is  teaching  a 
boy  to  read  and  write  education  ?  If  so,  a  large  propor 
tion  of  the  American  community  may  be  said  to  be  edu 
cated  ;  but,  if  you  supply  a  man  with  a  chest  of  tools, 
does  he  therefore  become  a  carpenter  ?  You  certainly 
give  him  the  means  of  working  at  the  trade,  but  instead 
of  learning  it,  he  may  only  cut  his  fingers.  Reading 
and  writing  without  the  further  assistance  necessary  to 
guide  people  aright,  is  nothing  more  than  the  chest  of 
tools. 

Then,  what  is  education?  I  consider  that  education 
commences  before  a  child  can  walk:  the  first  principle 
of  education,  the  most  important,  and  without  which  all 

*  Miss  Martineau  says  t  "  Though,  as  a  whole,  the  nation  is 
probably  better  informed  than  any  other  entire  nation,  it  cannot 
be  denied,  that  their  knowledge  is  far  inferior  to  what  their  safety 
and  their  virtue  require." 


216  EDUCATION. 

subsequent  attempts  at  it  are  but  as  leather  and  prunella, 
is  the  lesson  of  obedience — of  submitting  to  parental 
control — "  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother !" 

Now,  any  one  who  has  been  in  the  United  States 
must  have  perceived  that  there  is  little  or  no  parental 
control.  This  has  been  remarked  by  most  of  the  wri 
ters  who  have  visited  the  country;  indeed,  to  an  Eng 
lishman  it  is  a  most  remarkable  feature.  How  is  it 
possible  for  a  child  to  be  brought  up  in  the  way  that  it 
should  go  when  he  is  not  obedient  to  the  will  of  his 
parents  ?  I  have  often  fallen  into  a  melancholy  sort  of 
musing  after  witnessing  such  remarkable  specimens  of 
uncontrolled  will  in  children  ;  and  as  the  father  and  mo 
ther  both  smiled  at  it,  I  have  thought  that  they  little 
knew  what  sorrow  and  vexation  were  probably  in  store 
for  them,  in  consequence  of  their  own  injudicious  treat 
ment  of  their  offspring.  Imagine  a  child  of  three  years 
old  in  England  behaving  thus  :  — 

"  Johnny,  my  dear,  come  here,"  says  his  mamma. 

"  I  won't,"  cries  Johnny. 

"  You  must,  my  love,  you  are  all  wet,  and  you'll 
catch  cold." 

"  I  won't,"  replies  Johnny. 

"  Come,  my  sweet,  and  I've  something  for  you.v 

"  I  won't." 

"  Oh  !  Mr. ,  do,  pray  make  Johnny  come  in.'" 

"  Come  in,  Johnny,"  says  the  father. 

k'I  won't." 

**  I  tell  you,  come  in  directly,  sir— do  you  hear?" 

'>  I  won't,"  replies  the  urchin,  taking  to  his  heels. 

"  A  sturdy  republican,  sir,"  says  his  father  to  me. 
smiling  at  the  boy's  resolute  disobedience. 

Be  it  recollected  that  I  give  this  as  one  instance  of  a 
thousand  which  I  witnessed  during  my  sojourn  in  the 
country. 

It  may  be  inquired,  how  is  it  that  such  is  the  case  at 
present,  when  the  obedience  to  parents  was  so  rigorously 
inculcated  by  the  Puritan  fathers,  that  by  the  Blue  Laws, 
the  punishment  of  disobedience  was  death?  Captain 
Hall  ascribes  it  to  the  democracy,  and  the  rights  of 
equality  therein  acknowledged;  but  I  think,  allowing  the 


EDUCATION.  217 

spirit  of  their  institutions  to  have  some  effect  in  pro 
ducing  this  evil,  that  the  principal  cause  of  it  is  the  total 
neglect  of  the  children  by  the  lather,  and  his  absence  in 
his  professional  pursuits,  and  the  natural  weakness  of 
most  mothers,  when  their  children  are  left  altogether  to 
their  care  and  guidance. 

Mr.  Saunderson,  in  his  Sketches  of  Paris,  observes — 
"  The  motherly  virtues  of  our  women,  so  eulogised  by 
foreigners,  is  not  entitled  to  unqualified  praise.  There 
is  no  country  in  which  maternal  care  is  so  assiduous ; 
but  also  there  is  none  in  which  examples  of  injudicious 
tenderness  are  so  frequent."  This  I  believe  to  be  true  ; 
not  that  the  American  women  are  really  more  injudicious 
than  those  of  England,  but  because  they  are  not  sup 
ported  as  they  should  be  by  the  authority  of  the  father, 
of  whom  the  child  should  always  entertain  a  certain  por 
tion  of  fear  mixed  with  affection,  to  counterbalance  the 
natural  yearnings  of  a  mother's  heart. 

The  self-will  arising  from  this  fundamental  error  ma 
nifests  itself  throughout  the  whole  career  of  the  Ameri 
can's  existence,  and,  consequently,  it  is  a  self- willed 
nation  par  excellence. 

At  the  age  of  six  or  seven  you  will  hear  both  boys'- 
and   girls  contradicting  their  fathers   and    mothers,  and 
advancing  their  own  opinions  with  a  firmness  which  is 
very  striking. 

At  fourteen  or  fifteen  the  boys  will  seldom  remain 
longer  at  school.  At  college,  it  is  the  same  thing  ;*  and 

*  Mrs.  Trollopc  says:  "At  sixteen,  often  much  earlier,  educa 
tion  ends  and  money  making  begins;  the  idea  that  more  learning 
is  necessary  than  can  be  acquired  by  that  time,  is  generally  ridi 
culed  as  absolute  monkish  bigotry:  added  to  which,  if  the  seniors 
willed  a  more  prolonged  discipline,  the  juniors  would  refuse  sub 
mission.  When  the  money  getting  begins,  leisure  ceases,  and  all 
the  lore  which  can  be  acquired  afterwards  is  picked  up  from  no 
vels,  magazines,  and  newspapers." 

Captain  Hall  also  remarks  upon  this  point: — "I  speak  now 
from  the  authority  of  the  Americans  themselves.  There  is  the 
greatest  possible  difficultv  in  fixing  young  men  long  enough  at 
college.  Innumerable  devices  have  been  tried  with  considerable 
ingenuity  to  remedy  this  evil,  and  the  best  possible  intentions  by 

VOL.  II.  19 


218  EDUCATION. 

they  lenrn  precisely  what  they  please,  and  no  more. 
Corporal  punishment  is  not  permitted  ;  indeed,  if  we 
are  to  judge  from  an  extract  I  took  from  an  American 
paper,  the  case  is  reversed. 

The  following  "  Rules"  are  posted  up  in  a  New  Jersey 
school-house  : — 

"  No  kissing  girls  in  school  time  ;  no  licking  the  mas 
ter  during  holydays." 

At  fifteen  or  sixteen,  if  not  at  college,  the  boy  assumes 
the  man  ;  he  enters  into  business,  as  a  clerk  to  some 
merchant,  or  in  some  store.  His  father's  home  is  aban 
doned,  except  when  it  may  suit  his  convenience,  his 
salary  being  sufficient  for  most  of  his  wants.  He  fre 
quents  the  bar,  calls  for  gin  cocktails,  chews  tobacco, 
and  talks  politics.  His  theoretical  education,  whether 
he  has  profited  much  by  it  or  not,  is  now  superseded 
by  a  more  practical  one,  in  which  he  obtains  a  most 
rapid  proficiency.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  asserting  that 
there  is  more  practical  knowledge  among  the  Americans 
than  among  any  other  people  under  the  sun.* 

It  is  singular  that,  in  America,  every  thing,  whether 
it  be  of  good  or  evil,  appears  to  assist  the  country  in 
going  a-head.  This  very  want  of  parental  control,  how 
ever  it  may  affect  the  morals  of  the  community,  is  cer 
tainly  advantageous  to  America,  as  far  as  her  rapid  ad 
vancement  is  concerned.  Boys  are  working  like  men 
ibr  years  before  they  would  be  in  England  ;  time  is 
money,  and  they  assist  to  bring  in  the  harvest. 

the  professors  and  other  public-spirited  persons  who  are  sincerely 
grieved  to  see  so  many  incompetent,  half-qualified  men  in  almost 
every  corner  of  the  country. 

*  Captain  Hamilton  very  truly  observes — "Though  I  have  un 
questionably  met  in  New  York  with  many  most  intelligent  and  ac 
complished  gentlemen,  still  I  think  the  fact  cannot  be  denied,  that 
the  average  of  acquirement  resulting  from  education  is  a  good  deal 
lower  in  this  country  than  in  the  better  circles  in  England.  In  all 
the  knowledge  which  must  be  taught,  and  which  requires  laborious 
study  for  its  attainment,  I  should  say  the  Americans  are  consider 
ably  inferior  to  my  countrymen.  In  that  knowledge,  on  the  other 
hand,  which  the  individual  acquires  for  himself  by  actual  observa 
tion,  which  bears  an  immediate  marketable  value  and  is  directly 
available  in  the  ordinary  avocations  of  life,  I  do  not  imagine  that 
the  Americans  are  excelled  by  any  people  in  the  world." 


EDUCATION.  219 

But  does  this  independence  on  the  part  of  the  youth 
of  America  end  here  1  On  the  contrary,  what  at  first 
was  independence,  assumes  next  the  form  of  opposition, 
and  eventually  that  of  control. 

The  young  men,  before  they  are  qualified  by  age  to 
claim  their  rights  as  citizens,  have  their  societies,  their 
book-clubs,  their  political  meetings,  their  resolutions,  all 
of  which  are  promulgated  in  the  newspapers;  and  very 
often  the  young  men's  societies  are  called  upon  by  the 
newspapers  to  come  forward  with  their  opinions.  Here 
is  opposition.  Mr.  Cooper  says,  in  his  "  Democrat" 
(p.  152)- 

"  The  defects  in  American  deportment  are,  notwith 
standing,  numerous  and  palpable.  Among  the  first  may 
be  ranked,  insubordination  in  children,  and  a  great  want 
of  respect  for  age.  The  former  vice  may  be  ascribed  to 
the  business  habits  of  the  country,  which  leave  so  little 
time  for  parental  instruction,  and,  perhaps,  in  some  de 
gree  to  the  acts  of  political  agents,  who.  with  their  own 
advantages  in  view,  among  the  other  expedients  of  their 
cunning,  have  resorted  to  the  artifice  of  separating 
children  from  their  natural  advisers  by  calling  meetings 
of  the  young  to  decide  on  the  fortunes  and  policy  of  the 
country." 

But  what  is  more  remarkable,  is  the  fact  that  society 
has  been  usurped  by  the  young  people,  and  the  married 
and  old  people  have  been,  to  a  certain  degree,  excluded 
from  it.  A  young  lady  will  give  a  ball,  and  ask  none 
but  young  men  and  young  women  of  her  acquaintance; 
not  a  chaperon  is  permitted  to  enter,  and  her  father  and 
mother  are  requested  to  stay  up  stairs,  that  they  may 
not  interfere  with  the  amusement.  This  is  constantly 
the  case  in  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  and  I  have  heard 
bitter  complaints  made  by  the  married  people  concern 
ing  it.x  Here  is  control.  Mr.  Saunderson,  in  his  "  Sketches 
of  Paris,"  observes — 

"  They  who  give  a  tone  to  society  should  have  matu 
rity  of  mind  ;  they  should  have  refinement  of  taste,  which 
is  a  quality  of  age.  As  long  as  college  beaux  and 
boarding-school  misses  take  the  lead,  it  must  be  an 
insipid  society,  in  whatever  community  it  may  exist.  Is 


220  EDUCATION. 

it  not  villainous,  in  your  Quakerships  of  Philadelphia,  to 
lay  us  before  we  have  lived  half  our  time  out,  upon  the 
shelf?  Some  of  the  native  tribes,  more  merciful,  eat 
the  old  folks  out  of  the  way." 

However,  retribution  follows  :  in  their  turn  they  mar 
ry,  and  are  ejected  ;  they  have  children,  and  are  diso 
beyed.  The  pangs  which  they  have  occasioned  to  their 
own  parents  are  now  suffered  by  them  in  return, 
through  the  conduct  of  their  own  children  ;  and  thus  it 
goes  on,  and  will  go  on,  until  the  system  is  changed. 

All  this  is  undeniable ;  and  thus  it  appears  that  the 
youth  of  America,  being  under  no  control,  acquire  just 
as  much  as  they  please,  and  no  more,  of  what  may  be 
termed  theoretical  knowledge.  This  is  the  first  great 
error  in  American  education,  for  how  many  boys  are 
there  who  will  learn  without  coercion,  in  proportion  to 
the  number  who  will  not  ?  Certainly  not  one  in  ten, 
and,  therefore,  it  may  be  assumed  that  not  one  in  ten  is 
properly  instructed.* 

Now,  that  the  education  of  the  youth  of  America  is 
much  injured  by  this  want  of  control  on  the  part  of  the 
parents,  is  easily  established  by  the  fact  that  in  those 
States  where  the  parental  control  is  the  greatest,  as  in 
Massachusetts,  the  education  is  proportionably  superior. 
But  this  great  error  is  followed  by  consequences  even 
more  lamentable  :  it  is  the  first  dissolving  power  of  the 
kindred  attraction,  so  manifest  throughout  all  American 
society.  Beyond  the  period  of  infancy  there  is  no  en 
dearment  between  parents  and  children;  none  of  that 
sweet  spirit  of  affection  between  brothers  and  sisters  ; 
none  of  those  links  which  unite  one  family  ;  of  that  mutu 
al  confidence ;  that  rejoicing  at  each  other's  success  ; 
that  refuge,  when  we  are  depressed  or  afflicted,  in  the 
bosom  of  those  who  love  us — the  sweetest  portion  of  hu 
man  existence,  which  supports  us  under,  and  encourages 
us  firmly  to  brave,  the  ills  of  life — nothing  of  this  exists. 

*  The  master  of  a  school  could  not  manage  the  gals,  they  being 
exceedingly  contumacious.  Beat  them,  he  dared  not;  so  he  hit 
upon  an  expedient.  He  made  a  very  strong  decoction  of  worm 
wood,  and,  for  a  slight  offence,  poured  one  spoonful  down  their 
throats  ;  for  a  more  serious  one,  he  made  them  take  two. 


EDUCATION..  221 

In  short,  there  is  hardly  such  a  thing  in  America  as 
"Home,  sweet  home."  That  there  are  exceptions  to 
this,  I  grant  ;  but  I  spe-ik  of  the  great  majority  of  cases, 
and  the  results  upon  the  character  of  the  nation.  Mr. 
Cooper,  speaking  of  the  weakness  of  the  family  tie  in 
America,  says  — 

"  Let  the  reason  be  what  it  will,  the  effect  is  to  cut  us 
off  from  a  large  portion  of  the  happiness  that  is  depend 
ent  on  the  affections." 

The  next  error  of  American  education  is,  that,  in  their 
anxiety  to  instil  into  the  minds  of  youth  a  proper  and 
ardent  love  of  their  own  institutions,  feelings  and  senti 
ments  are  fostered  which  ought  to  be  most  carefully 
checked.  It  matters  little  whether  these  feelings  (in 
themselves  vices)  are  directed  against  the  institutions  of 
other  countries  ;  the  vice  more  engendered  remains,  and 
hatred  once  implanted  in  the  breast  of  youth,  will  not  be 
confined  in  its  action.  Neither  will  national  conceit 
remain  only  national  conceit  or  vanity  be  confined  to 
admiration  of  a  form  of  government;  in  the  present 
mode  of  educating  the  youth  of  America,  all  sight  is  lost 
of  humility,  good-will,  and  the  other  Christian  virtues, 
which  are  necessary  to  constitute  a  good  man,  whether 
he  be  an  American,  or  of  any  other  country. 
«f  Let  us  examine  the  manner  in  which  a  child  is  taught. 
Democracy,  equality,  the  vastness  of  his  own  country, 
the  glorious  independence,  the  superiority  of  the  Ame 
rican  in  all  conflicts  by  sea  or  land,  are  impressed  upon 
his  mind  before  he  can  well  read.  All  their  elementary 
books  contain  garbled  and  false  accounts  of  naval  and 
land  engagements,  in  which  every  credit  is  given  to  the 
Americans,  and  equal  vituperation  and  disgrace  thrown 
upon  their  opponents.  Monarchy  is  derided,  the  equal 
rights  of  man  declared;  all  is  invective,  uncharitableness 
and  falsehood. 

That  I  may  not  in  this  be  supposed  to  have  asserted 
too  much,  t  will  quote  a  reading  lesson  from  a  child's 
book,  which  I  purchased  in  America  as  a  curiosity,  and 
is  now  in  my  possession  ;  it  is  called  the  *•  Primary 
Reader  for  Young  Children  ;"  and  contains  many  stories 
besides  this,  relative  to  the  history  of  the  country. 
19* 


222  EDUCATION'. 

"  LESSON  62. 
«*  Story  about  the  4ih  of  July. 

6.  "  I  must  tell  you  what  the  people  of  New  York 
did.     In  a  certain  spot  in  that  city  there  stood  a  large 
statue,  or  representation,  of  King  George  III. — it  was 
made  of  lead.     In  one  hand  he  held  a  sceptre,  or  kind 
of  sword  ;  and  on  his  head  he  wore  a  crown. 

7.  "  When  the  news  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen 
dence  reached  the  city,  a  great  multitude  were  seen  run- 
ring  to  the  statue. 

8.  '*  The  cry  was  heard,   '  Down  with  it — down  with 
it!'  and  soon  a  rope  was  placed  about  its  neck,  and  the 
leaden  King  George  came  tumbling  down. 

9.  "  This   might   fairly  be  interpreted,  as   a  striking 
prediction  of  the  downfall  of  the  monarchical  form  of  go 
vernment  in  these  United  States. 

10.  **  If  we  look  into  history,  we  shall  frequently  find 
great  events  proceeding  from  as  trifling  causes  as  the  fall 
of  the  leaden  statue,  which  not  unaptly  represents  the 
character  of  a  despotic  prince. 

11.  "I  shall  only  add,  that  when  the  statue  was  fairly 
down,  it  was  cut  to  pieces,  and  converted  into  musket- 
balls,  to  kill  the  soldiers  whom  his  majesty  had  sent  over 
to  fight  the  Americans." 

This  is  quite  sufficient  for  a  specimen.  I  have  no 
doubt  it  will  be  argued  by  the  Americans — "  We  are 
justified  in  bringing  up  our  youth  to  love  our  institu 
tions."  I  admit  it;  but  you  bring  them  up  to  hate  other 
people,  before  they  have  sufficient  intellect  to  understand 
the  merits  of  the  case. 

The  author  of"  A  Voice  from  America"  observes — 

"  Such,  to  a  great  extent,  is  the  unavoidable  effect  of 
that  political  education  which  is  indispensable  to  all 
classes  of  a  self-governed  people.  They  must  be  trained 
to  it  from  their  cradle  ;  it  must  go  into  all  schools  ;  it 
must  thoroughly  leaven  the  national  literature ;  it  must 
be  '  line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept/  here  a  little 
and  there  a  little  ;  it  must  be  sung,  discoursed,  and 
thought  upon  every  where,  and  by  every  body. 

And  so  it  is  ;  and  as  if  this  scholastic  drilling  were  not 
sufficient,  every  year  brings  round  the  4th  of  July,  on 
which  is  read  ill  every  portion  of  the  States  the  Act  of 


EDUCATION.  223 

Independence,  in  itself  sufficiently  vituperative,  but  in 
variably  followed  up  by  one  speech  (if  not  more)  from 
some  great  personage  of  the  village,  harnlet,  town,  or 
city,  as  it  may  be,  in  which  the  more  violent  he  is  against 
monarchy  and  the  English,  and  the  more  he  flatters  his 
own  countrymen,  the  more  is  his  speech  applauded. 

Every  year  is  this  drilled  into  the  ears  of  the  Ame 
rican  boy,  until  he  leaves  school,  when  he  takes  a  political 
part  himself,  connecting  himself  with  some  young  men's 
society,  where  he  spouts  about  tyrants,  crowned  heads, 
shades  of  his  forefathers,  blood  flowing  like  water,  inde 
pendence,  and  glory. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Reid  very  truly  observes,  of  the  read 
ing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence— 

"  There  is  one  thing,  however,  that  may  justly  claim 
the  calm  consideration  of  a  great  and  generous  people. 
Now  that  half  a  century  has  passed  away,  is  it  neces 
sary  to  the  pleasures  of  this  day  to  revive  feelings  in  the 
children  which,  if  they  were  found  in  the  parent,  were  to 
be  excused  only  by  the  extremities  to  which  they  were 
pressed  ?  Is  it  generous,  now  that  they  have  achieved 
the  victory,  not  to  forgive  the  adversary  1  Is  it  manly, 
now  that  they  have  nothing  to  fear  from  Britain,  to  in 
dulge  in  expressions  of  hate  and  vindictiveness,  which 
are  the  proper  language  of  fear  1  Would  there  be  less 
patriotism  because  there  was  more  charity  ?  America 
should  feel  that  her  destinies  are  high  and  peculiar.  She 
should  scorn  the  patriotism  which  cherishes  the  love  of 
one's  own  country,  by  the  hatred  of  all  others." 

I  think  after  what  I  have  brought  forward,  the  reader 
will  agree  with  me,  that  the  education  of  the  youth  in 
the  United  States  is  immoral,  and  the  evidence  that  it  is 
so,  is  in  the  demoralisation  which  has  taken  place  in  the 
United  States  since  the  era  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  and  which  fact  is  freely  admitted  by  so  many 
American  writers  — 


parenlum  pejor  avis  tulit 
Nos  nequiores,  mox  daturos 
Progeniem  vitiosiorem." 

Horace,  lib.  iii.  ode  6. 

I  shall  by  and  by  show  some  of  the  effects  produced 
by  this  injudicions  system  of  education  ;  of  which,  if  it 


224  EDUCATION. 

is  necessary  to  uphold  their  democratical  institutions,  I 
can  only  say,  with  Dr.  Franklin,  that  the  Americans 
"  pay  much  too  dear  for  their  whistle.'1'' 

It  is,  however,  a  fact,  that  education  (such  as  I  have 
shown  it  to  be)  is  in  the  United  States  more  equally  dif 
fused.  They  have  very  few  citizens  of  the  States  (ex 
cept  a  portion  of  those  in  the  West)  who  may  be  con 
sidered  as  "  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water," — 
those  duties  being  performed  by  the  emigrant  Irish  and 
German,  and  the  slave  population.  The  education  of  the 
higher  classes  is  not  by  any  means  equal  to  that  of  the 
old  countries  of  Europe.  You  meet  very  rarely  with  a 
good  classical  scholar,  or  a  very  highly  educated  man, 
although  some  there  certainly  are,  especially  in  the 
legal  profession.  The  Americans  have  not  the  leisure 
for  such  attainments  ;  hereafter  they  may  have  ;  but  at 
present  they  do  right  to  look  principally  to  Europe  for 
literature,  as  they  can  obtain  it  thence  cheaper  and 
better.  In  every  liberal  profession  you  will  find  that 
the  ordeal  necessary  to  be  gone  through  is  not  such  as 
it  is  with  us;  if  it  were,  the  difficulty  of  retaining  the 
young  men  at  college  would  be  much  increased.  To 
show  that  such  is  the  case,  I  will  now  just  give  the  dif 
ference  of  the  acquirements  demanded  in  the  new  and 
old  country  to  qualify  a  young  man  as  an  M.  D. 

English,  Physician.  American  Physician. 

1.  A  regular  classical  education         1.  Not  required. 

at  a  college. 

2.  Apprenticeship    of    not   less         2.  One  year's  apprenticeship. 

than  five  years. 

3.  Preliminary  examination    in         3.  Not  required. 

the  classics,  &c. 

4.  Sixteen  months'  attendance  at         4.  Eight  months  in  two  years. 

lectures  in  2£  years. 

5.  Twelve  months' hospital  prac-         5.  Not  required. 

tice. 

6.  Lectures   on    botany,  natural         6.  Not  required. 

philosophy,  &c. 

If  the  men  in  America  enter  so  early  into  life  that  they 
have  not  time  to  obtain  the  acquirements  supposed  to 
be  requisite  with  us,  it  is  much  the  same  thing  with  the 
females  of  the  upper  classes,  who,  from  the  precocious 
ripening  by  the  climate  and  consequent  early  mar- 


EDUCATION.  225 

riages,  may  be  said  to  throw  down  their  dolls  that  they 
may  nurse  their  children. 

The  Americans  are  very  justly  proud  of  their  women, 
and  appear  tacitly  to  acknowledge  the  want  of  theoreti 
cal  education  in  their  own  sex  by  the  care  and  attention 
which  they  pay  to  the  instruction  of  the  other.  Their  exer 
tions  are,  however,  to  a  certain  degree,  checked  by  the  cir 
cumstance,  that  there  is  not  sufficient  time  allowed  pre 
vious  to  the  marriage  of  the  females  to  give  that  soli 
dity  to  their  knowledge  which  would  insure  its  perma 
nency.  They  attempt  too  much  for  so  short  a  space  of 
time.  Two  or  three  years  are  usually  the  period  during 
which  the  young  women  remain  at  the  establishments, 
or  colleges  I  may  call  them  (for  in  reality  they  are  female 
colleges).  In  the  prospectus  of  the  Albany  Female  Aca 
demy,  I  find  that  the  classes  run  through  the  following 
branches  : — French,  book-keeping,  ancient  history,  ec 
clesiastical  history,  history  of  literature,  composition, 
political  economy,  American  constitution,  law,  natural 
theology,  mental  philosophy,  geometry,  trigonometry, 
algebra,  natural  philosophy,  astronomy,  chemistry,  bo 
tany,  mineralogy,  geology,  natural  history,  and  techno 
logy,  besides  drawing,  penmanship,  &c.  &c. 

It  is  almost  impossible  for  the  mind  to  retain,  for  any 
length  of  time,  such  a  variety  of  knowledge,  forced  into 
it  before  a  female  has  arrived  to  the  age  of  sixteen  or 
seventeen,  at  which  age,  the  study  of  these  sciences,  as 
is  the  case  in  England,  should  commence,  notfinish.  I 
have  already  mentioned,  that  the  examinations  which 
I  attended  were  highly  creditable  both  to  preceptors 
and  pupils  ;  but  the  duties  of  an  American  woman,  as 
I  shall  hereafter  explain,  soon  find  her  other  occupation, 
and  the  ologies  are  lost  in  the  realities  of  life.  Diplo 
mas  are  given  at  most  of  these  establishments  on  the 
young  ladies  completing  their  course  of  studies.  In 
deed,  it  appears  to  be  almost  necessary  that  a  young 
lady  should  produce  this  diploma  as  a  certificate  of  be 
ing  qualified  to  bring  up  young  republicans.  I  observed 
to  an  American  gentleman  how  youthful  his  wife  ap 
peared  to  be — "Yes,"  replied  he,  "  I  married  her  a 
month  after  she  had  graduated."  The  following  are 
the  terms  of  a  diploma,  which  was  given  to  a  young 


226  EDUCATION. 

lady  at  Cincinnati,  and  which  she  permitted  me  to 
copy : — 

44  In  testimony  of  the  zeal  and  industry  with  which 

Miss    M T has    prosecuted   the   prescribed 

course  of  studies  in  the  Cincinnati  Female  Institution, 
and  the  honourable  proficiency  which  she  has  attained 
in  penmanship,  arithmetic,  English  grammar,  rhetoric, 
belles-lettres,  composition,  ancient  and  modern  geogra 
phy,  ancient  and  modern  history,  chemistry,  natural 
philosophy,  astronomy,  &c.  &c.  &c.,  of  which  she  has 
given  proofs  by  examination, 

"  And  also  as  a  mark  of  her  amiable  deportment,  in 
tellectual  acquirements,  and  our  affectionate  regard,  we 
have  granted  her  this  letter — the  highest  honour  BE 
STOWED  in  this  institution. 

"  Given  under  our  hands  at 

(Seal.)  '•  Cincinnati, 

"  this  19th  day  of  July,  Anno  Domini,  1837." 

The  ambition  of  the  Americans  to  be  a-head  of  other 
nations  in  every  thing,  produces,  however,  injurious 
effects,  so  far  as  the  education  of  the  women  is  con 
cerned.  The  Americans  will  not  "  leave  well  alone" 
they  must  "  gild  refined  gold,"  rather  than  not  consider 
themselves  in  advance  of  other  countries,  particularly 
of  England.  They  alter  our  language,  and  think  that, 
they  have  improved  upon  it ;  as  in  the  same  way  they 
would  raise  the  standard  of  morals  higher  than  with 
us,  and  consequently  fall  much  below  us,  appearances 
supplying  the  place  of  the  reality.  In  these  endeavours 
they  sink  into  a  sickly  sentimentality,  and,  as  I  have 
observed  before,  attempts  at  refinement  in  language, 
really  excite  improper  ideas.  As  a  proof  of  the  ridicu 
lous  excess  to  which  this  is  occasionally  carried,  I  shall 
insert  an  address  which  I  observed  in  print ;  had  such 
a  document  appeared  in  the  English  newspapers,  it 
would  have  been  considered  as  a  hoax. 

"  MRS.  MANDELLE'S  ADDRESS 
"  To   the    Young    Ladies   of   the    Lancaster   Female 

Academy,  at  an  Examination,  March  3d,  1838. 
"Affectionate  Pupils: — With   many  of  you   this  is 
our  final  meeting  in  the  relative  position  of  teacher  and 


EDUCATION.  227 

pupil,  and  we  must  part  perhaps  to  meet  no  more.  That 
this  reflection  filtrates  from  my  mind  to  my  heart  with 
saddening  influence,  I  need  scarce  assure  you.  But 
Hope,  in  a  voice  sweet  as  *  the  wild  strains  of  the  Eolian 
harp,'  whispers  in  dulcet  accents,  *  we  may  again  meet.1 
In  youth  the  impressions  of  sorrow  are  fleeting  and 
evanescent  as  'the  vapery  sail,"1  that  momentarily  o'er- 
shadows  the  luciferous  orb  of  even,  vanishes  and  leaves 
her  disc  untarnished  in  its  lustre  :  so  may  it  be  with  you 
— may  the  gloom  of  this  moment,  like  the  elemental  pro 
totype,  be  but  the  precursor  of  reappearing  radiance  un- 
dimmed  by  the  transitory  shadow. 

"  Happy  and  bright  indeed  has  been  this  small  portion 
of  your  time  occupied,  not  only  in  the  interesting  pursuit 
of  science,  but  in  a  reciprocation  of  attentions  and  sym 
pathies,  endeared    by   that  holiest  ligament   of  earthly 
sensibilities,  religion,  which  so  oft  has  united  us  in  soul 
and   sentiment,  as    the    aspirations  of  our  hearts   simul 
taneously  ascended  to  the  mercy-seat  of  the  great.  Jehovah  ! 
The  remembrance  of  emotions  like  these  are  ineffaceable 
by  care  or  sorrow,  and  only  blotted  out  by  the  immutable 
hand  of  death.     These  halcyon  hours  of  budding  exist 
ence  are  to  memory  as  the  oasis  of  the  desert,  where  we 
may  recline  beneath  the  soothing  influence  of  their  um 
brage,  and  quaff  in  the  goblet  of  retrospection  the  lucid 
draught  th^l  refreshes  for  the  moment,  and  is  again   for 
gotten.     Permit  me  to  solicit,  that  ihe  immaculate  prin 
ciples  of  virtue,  I  have  so  ofien  and  so  carefully  incul 
cated,  may  not  be  forgotten,  but  perseveringly  cherished 
and   practised.     May  the  divine  dictates  of  reason  mur 
mur  in  harmonious  cadence,  bewitching  as  the  fabled 
melody  of  the  musical  bells  on  the  trees  of  the  Mahome- 
dan  Paradise.     She  dwells  not  alone  beneath  the  glitter 
ing  star,  nor  is  always  encircled  by  the  diamond  cestus 
and  the  jewel'd   tiara !    indeed   not !   and   the    brilliancy 
emulged  from   the  spangling  gems,  but  mj-.ke  more  hi 
deous  the  dark,  black  spot  enshrined  in   the  effulgence. 
The  traces  of  her  peaceful  footsteps  aie  found  alike  in  the 
dilapidated  hovel  of  the  beggared  peasant,  and  the  velveted 
saloon  of  the  coroneted  noble;   who  may  then  apportion 
her  a  home  or  assign  her  a  clime  ?  In  making  my  ac 
knowledgments  for  the  attentive  interest  with  which  you 


228  EDUCATION. 

received  my  instructions  ;  and  the  respectful  regard  you 
manifested  in  appreciating  my  advice,  it  is  not  as  a  com 
pliment  to  your  vanity,  but  a  debt  due  to  your  politeness 
and  good  sense.  Long,  my  beloved  pupils,  may  my 
precepts  and  admonitions  live  in  your  hearts  ;  and  hasten 
you,  (in  the  language  of  Addison,)  to  commit  yourselves 
to  the  care  of  Omnipotence,  and  when  the  morning  calls 
again  to  toil  cast  all  your  cares  upon  him  the  Author  of 
your  being,  who  has  conducted  you  through  one  stage  of 
existence,  and  who  will  always  be  present  to  guide  and 
attend  your  progress  through  eternity." 

An  advertisement  of  Mr.  Bonfil's  Collegiate  Institute 
for  Young  Ladies,  after  enumerating  the  various  branches 
of  literature  to  be  taught,  winds  up  with  the  following 
paragraph  : — 

"  And  finally,  it  will  be  constantly  inculcated,  that  their 
education  will  be  completed  when  they  have  the  power 
to  extend  unaided,  a  spirit  of  investigation,  searching  and 
appreciating  truth,  without  passing  the  bounds  assigned 
to  the  human  understanding" 


I  have  now  completed  two  volumes,  and  although  I 
omitted  the  major  portion  of  my  Diary,  that  I  might  not 
trespass  too  long  upon  the  reader,  my  task  is  still  far 
from  its  termination.  The  most  important  parts  of  it — 
an  examination  into  the  American  Society  and  their  Go 
vernment,  and  the  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  the  ob 
servations  already  made  upon  several  subjects  ;  in  short, 
the  working  out  of  the  problem,  as  it  were,  is  still  to  be 
executed.  I  have  not  written  one  line  of  this  work  with 
out  deliberation  and  examination.  What  1  have  already 
done  has  cost  me  much  labour — what  I  have  to  do  will 
cost  me  more.  I  must  therefore,  claim  for  myself  the  in 
dulgence  of  the  public,  and  request  that,  injustice  to  the 
Americans,  they  will  not  decide  until  they  have  perused 
the  second  portion,  with  which  I  shall  as  speedily  as  I 
can  wind  up  my  observations  upon  the  United  States,  and 
their  Institutions.  F.  M. 

THE   END. 


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